


Facades

by OnceUponATimeLover28



Category: Onceuponatime - Fandom
Genre: AU, Briefsexsceneandswearing, Eventualswanqueen, F/F, Teacherstudentstory, onceuponatime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 31,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24338752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceUponATimeLover28/pseuds/OnceUponATimeLover28
Summary: When Emma Swan moves to a new school for senior year, she immediately meets a new friend and a new crush (who just happens to be a teacher). Everything seems to fall into place until she finds out that her friend and crush are connected, and have history with one another. As all three woman reflect on their pasts, one question remains: What is Emma supposed to do now?Updated weekly on Saturdays!
Relationships: Emma Swan/Mary Margaret Blanchard | Snow White, Emma Swan/Regina Mills | The Evil Queen
Comments: 16
Kudos: 118





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

Emma Swan walked into Montgomery High bright and early on the first day of school, 8:15 to be exact. School started at 9 and she didn’t want to risk coming closer to when the bell would ring, when everyone else would be standing around talking to each other. All those eyes on her and the stares... everyone would know she was new. Best to get to school as early as possible to avoid that; at her old school, she was so used to having everyone knowing who she was, but here she would have a fresh start. Nobody knew her here and so far the feeling was thrilling and terrifying all at once. 

After stopping at the office to pick up her schedule, Emma headed into the nearest girls’ bathroom. She would stay in there until 8:40 or so, and then she could head to her first class. She slid her backpack off her shoulders and propped it up on the row of sinks. She was just looking to see which class she had first, when the door opened with a bang. Emma jumped, heart thudding in her chest. She glanced up slightly and saw a pretty brunette come in and place her backpack beside hers. 

“Hey.” 

That first word made Emma start to panic a little. She hadn’t expected to meet or talk to anyone so soon. “Hi.” 

The girl smiled and opened her backpack, pulling out a bunch of makeup. Emma watched curiously; she didn’t wear any makeup so she had no idea what some of those products were. “First day here?” the girl spoke again. 

“Um yeah,” Emma said, beginning to feel like an idiot. She could barely muster out a word whereas this girl had no trouble striking up a conversation. “Is it that obvious?” 

The girl laughed as she pulled her hair away from her face and picked up a tube of what looked like cream. “A little. You kind of have that ‘deer in the headlights’ look.” She squeezed some onto the back of her hand and, using a brush, began to paint it over her face. “I’m Mary Margaret, although you can call me M, like the letter. What’s your name?” 

“Emma.” Emma watched as M finished with the cream and took out blush and a big brush. She had no idea why this girl was even wearing makeup; she had the most flawless, almost porcelain like skin Emma had ever seen. She watched as M grinned so that the apples of her cheeks were more visible and began sweeping the blush upwards. Emma watched in awe. “How do you do that?” she asked shyly. 

M paused to look at her. “What, apply makeup?” She shrugged. “Takes lots of practice. I’ve been wearing it since I was like fourteen.” Then she kind of sighed. “But my stepmother doesn’t really like when I wear it, so I come to school early to put it on. I make sure it’s natural looking though... and by the time I get home, she barely notices.” M grinned. “I’m a pro at it now.” She studied Emma for a minute and tilted her head, as if she were deciding whether or not she could be trusted. Then she spoke again. “It’s kind of a long story, but this is my first day here at Montgomery High too. I kind of got into some trouble at my old school.” 

“Really?” Emma asked in disbelief. M hardly looked like the type of girl who got into trouble. She seemed so innocent and sweet looking. “What for?” 

M smiled. “Let’s just say that I got to know some of the guys in my grade a little too well, and the principal didn’t want some “slut” in his school.” She finished applying the blush and took out eyeshadow and mascara. “Super strict rules there. But I’m kinda glad I’m out of there... the stupidest thing about the school were the tacky uniforms we were forced to wear. I swear I looked like a nun or something in mine.” 

Emma laughed, noticing how low cut M’s blouse was and how short her skirt was. She didn’t think they were so bad that she would be forced to go home and change, but the clothing was definitely made for someone who wanted to show their figure off. Along with that, M also had an expensive looking haircut with highlights that looked as if they had been recently done. Emma suddenly felt like a twelve-year old in her red leather jacket and jeans. She self-consciously took her hair out of its ponytail and began running her fingers through it. 

“You’ve got gorgeous hair, Emma. You should definitely wear it down more often,” M said, watching her in the mirror. “Gosh, if I had waves like yours, I would wear it down 24/7.” She finishing doing her eyes and took out a tube of lipgloss. “What classes do you have this semester?” 

Emma looked down at her schedule again. “Psychology, math, gym and english. You?” 

M held out her hand for the paper and Emma passed it to her reluctantly. She watched as the brunette scanned it and grinned. “Sweet! We have psychology and gym together. I also have biology and law.” 

Emma smiled, glad that she knew at least one person in her classes. She felt herself beginning to sweat a little when she realized that she would have to make friends again. That was one of the worst parts about having to start over in a new school. The bell rang and her heart thudded in her chest. She grabbed her bag and waited for M to put her things away, but to Emma’s surprise, she began to fluff her hair. “Um, shouldn’t we go now? We don’t wanna be late.” 

M laughed and finally gathered up her things, but not before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a pack of gum. “Here,” she said, tossing it to Emma. “Have a piece. And don’t worry, we’ll help each other find our classes.” 

Emma looked at M for a moment, noticing the sincereness in her gaze; it was not how people usually looked at her, so she was surprised for a moment. But somehow she knew that it was okay to trust M. Emma looked at the gum. Apple flavoured. She took a piece and slowly popped it in her mouth, savouring the sweet taste that gave way to a slight tartiness. She felt herself smiling at M. For the first time since she had walked into the school that morning, she relaxed. 

*****

One thing about M that Emma noticed right away was how confident she was. The brunette was able to walk down the hallway without any thought or care as to who was watching. And watch they did; at first Emma had thought that everyone was watching her, but she had soon realized that they were watching M. She had a way about her that made everyone want to stop dead in their tracks and stare. Although her beauty probably had much to do with the reason why she was getting so much attention, Emma could also sense a certain aura around her... one that made everyone want to be near her. 

And M didn’t act fake or cocky like some girls did when they were being admired. Instead, she’d smile and continue on her way. Emma tried not to laugh as guys did double-takes as she walked by, girls would eye her enviously, and teachers would look up from their planners and lesson plans to give her the once over, seeing if it was worth it to stop her and demand that she go change into something more “appropriate”. Even a janitor almost dropped his broom when M accidentally tripped over his bucket of water. 

As the two of them sat in the cafeteria at lunch, Emma tried to tune out the sound of everyone laughing and talking all at once. Often feeling like a fish out of water in crowded places, this was no different, and she remembered when she was new at her old school where she had often eaten her lunch in a bathroom stall. Until she had gotten involved with that one group of people, but that hadn’t gone well at all. 

“So Emma, you still haven’t told me your story!” 

She came back to the present, watching as the sixth guy that day had gotten M’s phone number. He smiled as he walked off. “M-my story?” Emma stammered. “What do you mean?” 

“You know, why you came to this school and what you’re biggest secrets are and all that jazz.” M laughed as she took a bite of her apple. “I’m kidding about the secrets. But seriously, what’s your story? Most people would hate moving to a new school for their senior year.” 

Emma considered whether she should make something up, something much more happier than the reality of what her story actually was. But M seemed like she genuinely wanted to know, and after all, she had shared briefly about what her situation was like. “Not me,” Emma began quietly. “I really wanted a fresh start, I guess.” She took a sip of water in order to get her thoughts together. “Um, well to make a long story short, I never knew who my birth parents were. They left me on the side of the road with nothing but a blanket that they wrapped me in. Some stranger found me three days later and took me to the police.” 

“Holy frick,” M looked at her sadly. “Wow, that’s so messed up. How could anyone do that to their baby?” 

“Tell me about it,” Emma sighed. She started feeling the lump in her throat that always appeared whenever she talked about her past, but she swallowed it. “So, I went through about fifteen different foster homes before I finally ran away when I was sixteen. At my last one, the parents treated me like a slave and made me watch their bratty kids all the time. I’d finally had enough, so I packed my things and just left one night. They didn’t care.” 

“What about the foster care agency?” M asked. “Didn’t they try to find you or anything?” 

Emma shook her head. “Nah. They don’t really care about teenagers, since they’ll be eighteen soon and will naturally age out of the system. They’re mostly concerned about the babies and younger kids. But anyway, I kind of became homeless for awhile. I was kind of a loner at school, which was the only thing I really had going for me, and the people that I thought were my friends turned against me after we got in trouble for vandalizing and stuff.” She watched as M nodded occasionally, never taking her eyes off her. She’d feared that relaying all this stuff out loud would be difficult, but surprisingly she found it kind of therapeutic; like the knot inside her was slowly unraveling itself. “I dropped out of school, and a year later I was walking down this random street when I passed by this restaurant. Granny’s. This old lady came out, and for a second I thought she was gonna threaten to call the police on me, since I hadn’t showered for weeks or anything like that. I probably looked like a freak to her. I thought she was worried that I was gonna try to pull a gun on her or something. But surprisingly, she made me come in to eat.” Emma smiled. “She cooked me this big plate of breakfast and talked to me as I sat down and ate it. Told her everything that happened to me.” 

“She sounds like a sweet lady,” M said kindly. 

“She is, because she offered me a job waiting tables and a place to stay in her apartment upstairs. And then when I met her granddaughter Ruby, who’s a few years older than I am, she kind of took me under her wing. Well, they both did. They made me go through a drug detox program and I just finished it a couple of months ago. They let me stay at their place for free as long as I stay away from the drugs, which I have.” Emma continued to smile as she finished her lunch. “And they’re helping me with stuff like opening up a bank account and education account.” 

“Wow!” M smiled. Emma watched as she placed her hand over her own. “That sounds so horrible Emma, but I’m glad that things are better for you now.” 

“Me too,” Emma said. Talking about it had gone a lot better than she thought it would, and she was glad that her new friend seemed to accept her past. “I’m sorry my story sounds so awful though... well at least the first part.” 

“Nah don’t be,” M said, waving it off. By now she had finished her apple and had moved onto a salad she had bought earlier. “My life isn’t quite so wonderful either.” 

“No?” Emma asked. She didn’t think anything could be worse than what she’d gone through. 

“My mom died when I was ten,” M said, a sad look appearing in her eyes. “Cancer.” 

“Gosh, I’m sorry,” she said. She’d always felt that she’d lost out by never having met her mother, but M had gotten to spend ten years of her life with hers and then shit had happened and she got taken away. “I can’t even imagine what that would be like.” 

“It was hard for sure,” M replied. “I thought Daddy was going to die too, he was so sad. But we had each other, and luckily he still had his work to keep himself distracted.” 

“What does he do?” 

“He’s a judge,” M said. “Works for the federal court. We still managed to be somewhat happy though, and he hired a nanny to take care of me.” M smiled. “Her name was Johanna.” Then her face changed and she looked down at her salad. “Then Daddy met my stepmother, Gina. They got married when I was thirteen. And since she came into our lives, it’s been pure hell.” 

“Really?” Emma asked, intrigued. “What did she do?” 

“You know all those fairytales about how the stepmother treats her stepchildren horribly? Well Gina’s worse than all those women. First of all, she tries to come into my life as my new “mother” which I didn’t like. Nobody can replace my real one. Then she tried to tell Daddy that he was spoiling me. He lets me do whatever I want pretty much, like wear makeup or use his credit card to go shopping. But he does that because he loves me. And Gina was jealous of all this. But yet he lets her buy things too!” M sighed. “I just don’t get it. It makes NO sense.” 

“Wow,” Emma said, beginning to feel sorry for her. M clearly had a difficult past as well. “That sucks.” 

“Yeah,” M said, shrugging. “I think she’s jealous of me. Which is why I secretly refer to her as The Evil Queen.” 

“Like from Snow White?” 

“Yes! Because sometimes I get the feeling she wants to get rid of me somehow.” Then M laughed. “But she can die trying. Cause I’m not going anywhere. Daddy told me I’m his number one priority, not her.” 

“Can’t your dad divorce her something like that?” Emma asked. 

“He could, but if he did he’d have to give half of his money to her.” M shrugged. “And he doesn’t want to do that, so we just deal with her.” 

Hearing about M’s past made Emma feel sad, and suddenly she wanted to do something for her friend the way she had done earlier that day in the bathroom; something that would make her feel better. “Hey,” Emma said. “If you ever want to, you can come stay at the apartment sometimes. Granny and Ruby told me this morning before I started that my friends will always be welcome there, whether they need a hot meal or a place to stay.” 

“Hey thanks!” M said, smiling. “I might just take you up on that offer. And on the weekends my stepmother goes away, so you can come stay at my house too. Daddy won’t mind.” 

“Thanks, that sounds cool too. But where does she go?” 

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” M said, beginning to laugh. “Just as long as she’s not around me.” 

Emma laughed as well and when the bell rang shortly after, both of them stood up and left the cafeteria together to go find the gym. Her first day was going better than she had thought it would, and she couldn’t help but feel that she had had success in making a new friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After a quick discussion of what sports and topics in health they would be covering that year, the gym teacher had split everyone up and allowed them to play dodge ball for the rest of the class. Normally, gym was a class that Emma loathed, but she found it was more fun when she had someone she actually knew in her class. Her and M had ended up on the same team, working well together to try and get as many people out on the other team as they could. She was surprised to discover that she had had fun and was actually looking forward to the class with her, as well as the psych class they had together in the morning. 

M had just dropped her off at her English classroom, and had went to go upstairs to find hers for her law class. Emma had glanced around the room at the small number of students that were in the seats. She decided to sit towards the front but not right in the first row, as she didn’t want to look like a nerd or anything. But she also didn’t want to sit at the back where the trouble-makers usually liked to sit. The last thing she needed was to get caught up in the wrong crowd again. 

“Alright everyone, let’s take our seats so we can begin!” 

Emma turned in the direction of where that voice came from and felt her breath catch in her throat. Standing at the front of the classroom was the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen. She was tall with dark brown waves and had beautiful glowing skin. Emma tried not to swoon as her eyes trailed over the woman. She wore a red form-fitting blouse with dark slacks that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her eyes looked just like rivers of chocolate and they sparkled as the light hit them. At that moment, the woman looked at her and she swore she would stop breathing right there. What was happening to her? She fought to keep herself under control and managed a smile. The woman smiled back and then winked. Or at least that’s what it looked like. Maybe she was going crazy. Emma had the urge to smooth her hair down and use her phone to check her appearance to make sure she looked okay. 

While she had been having this moment, the last few students came in and sat. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and realized she was the only person who was sitting the closest to the front of the room. She bit her lip and faced forward. 

“Good afternoon, class. My name is Ms. Mills and I will be your English teacher for this term,” the woman said. She looked around the room and smiled. “How many of you would say that English is your favourite subject?” 

Only a few hands went up. Emma’s did too. She liked writing and had often been told by a few of her teachers at her last school that she had a gift for it. 

Ms. Mills nodded. She then asked the class how many people didn’t care for it. Emma was surprised to see that the majority of the class had all raised their hands. “Oh dear,” Ms. Mills jokingly said. “Not the turn out I was hoping for. But that’s alright!” She gave everyone a warm smile. “I understand how it feels when you’re forced to take a class you don’t enjoy. For me, that was math. I was horrible at it.” 

Some people laughed and Emma felt herself beginning to relax. So far, this teacher was proving to be one of her favourites here, perhaps even in her whole life. She liked how easily Ms. Mills was talking to them. She almost forgot that she was sitting in a classroom after a few minutes. 

Ms. Mills talked a little about where she had gone to university and why she enjoyed reading and writing, and some general rules that she expected them all to follow in her class. Then she began telling them about some of the assignments they would be doing this term. The class began to perk up when she told them that they could choose their own books to write about for their bi-monthly book reports. 

“For real? So we could do Fifty Shades of Grey?” one guy asked. The class laughed and Ms. Mills nodded with a shrug. 

“Why not? It’s a book too, is it not?” Ms. Mills smiled. “Just as long as it is an actual book, and not a magazine.” She picked up a stack of papers from her desk and began to pass them out. 

Emma accepted hers with a quiet ‘thank you’, and looked over the course schedule. Other than the bi-monthly book reports, they had two major essays to write, a final exam, and something that was called ‘Weekly Journalling Assignment’. Bravely, she decided to raise her hand. “What’s the ‘Weekly Journalling Assignment’”? she asked curiously. As always when she spoke out loud in class, her cheeks turned bright red. Ms. Mills looked at her with a warm smile. 

“I’m glad you asked. Towards the end of class, I have a big box of empty journals that I’ll ask you to go through and pick one that you want to use for the term, Ms. Mills explained. “Each week, I’ll ask that you try to write in it a minimum of three times, and then you’ll turn it in on Friday at the end of each class for me to look at. It’s just my way of getting to know more about who each of you are. You can write about anything you’d like, and if there’s an entry or page that you do not wish for me to see, then tab it and I won’t read it.” 

“Isn’t that, like, the gayest thing ever though?” a girl asked mockingly. Emma flinched when she heard the word used like that. Her sexual orientation was something she tried to keep hidden from others, particularly for this reason. She tried to ignore the burning feeling behind her eyes and looked down at her desk.   
“Is the assignment really gay, dear? Things like journals or tables or lamps can’t be gay. Or do you think this assignment is perhaps useless, pointless, or purposeless?” Ms. Mills asked in a firm tone. 

The girl glared at Ms. Mills. “Whatever.” 

“Let’s all get one thing clear here: in my class, I do not tolerate that word being used. There are many others that can be used in order to describe things that we do not care for or like. ‘Gay’ is not one of them.” 

Emma tilted her head, watching this teacher in awe. She’d never seen anyone, much less a teacher, oppose to the use of that word. She sat up a little straighter, feeling as if she had just been supported in secret. It was a wonderful feeling. 

Then she had another thought. Was Ms. Mills gay? Considering this, she snuck another look at her teacher. She didn’t really give off any gay vibes, but sometimes it was hard to tell. 

Ms. Mills had them all pick out a journal from a box she brought out from the supply closet. They all looked as if they were new, and for a moment Emma wondered if they had been bought by Ms. Mills herself. She flipped through them and found one that had a swan on the front cover. She smiled. Swans had always been special to her, and her last name was actually ‘Swan’. She had never known what her true last name was, but remembered that she had been fascinated by a stuffed swan she had received as a gift from one of her favourite foster mothers, one who had been unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with cancer. She had died six months after. So naturally, when asked by her social worker if she had any idea what her last name was, she’d answered that it was Swan. Before that, she had only been known as “Emma” but once she became “Emma Swan”, she felt like all the other kids in her school who had a last name. 

The bell rang, signalling the end of class and everyone began packing up their backpacks and binders. “Your first assignment for your journal will be due on Friday, and I’d like you to write about what you expect and hope to learn in this class,” Ms. Mills said. “I expect at least one page.”

Emma put her journal in her backpack and picked up her binder, turning to go when she saw that she was the last person left in class, and that Ms. Mills was smiling at her. She immediately blushed and wanted to say something witty. “So...” Emma said. Then she blanked. “I... uh...” 

Ms. Mills waited expectantly for her to finish and Emma wanted to kick herself. Why couldn’t she put together one stupid sentence? Come on Swan, focus. “Um... I’m really looking forward to this class.” She bit her lip, hoping that sounded okay. 

“I’m glad to hear that! What’s your name, dear?” The brunette asked kindly. 

“I’m Emma, Emma Swan.” 

“Well Emma Swan, I look forward to having you in my class.” Ms. Mills went to take a seat at her desk and flipped through some papers. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Yes, of course!” Emma said. She realized too late that that had probably sounded too enthusiastic. 

Walking out of the room, she clutched her binder tightly as she went to go find M. She had a feeling that English might just be her favourite subject this year. 

*****

“So Em, how was the first day of school?” Ruby asked her. “Interesting classes so far?” 

Her and M had went to Granny’s after school. She had an evening shift and her new friend had wanted to see where she worked. To their delight, Granny had cooked up two grilled cheese sandwiches and blended some milkshakes for them to eat as an after school snack. Ruby was getting all the details of their day as they sat at the counter.

“Okay,” Emma shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. “Good classes so far. I think English is my favourite.” 

“No surprise there,” Ruby said with a wink, putting the finishing touches on a customer’s salad order. “You’re really good at writing.” 

Emma blushed and continued to eat so she wouldn’t have to reply; compliments always did that to her. She listened to M tell Ruby about the number of guys she’d exchanged numbers with.

“Nine?!?!?!?! No way!” Ruby pretended to pout. “I could barely get a guy to look at me in high school.” 

“It’s because I’d threaten each and every one of them who came too close to you with my hunting rifle,” Granny said, coming out of the kitchen. “They took one look at me and turned as white as a ghost.” 

They all laughed and Ruby left to go wait on some of her tables. “So,” M said, swirling her straw in her milkshake. “Did you meet anyone interesting in any of your classes?” 

Emma smiled, thinking of Ms. Mills for the third time since school had finished. She was about to tell her about her newfound crush, but then decided against it. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep this a secret, she just kind of wanted to keep this to herself for now. “Nah, not yet,” Emma said, trying to sound casual. “It’s probably too soon.” Then she grinned. “And besides, with you at school, you’re stealing away all the girls’ crushes.” 

M laughed. “Yeah you’re probably right. It’s not like I’m gonna date all of them though, but its good to have a wide range of numbers in hand. When I get bored of one, I’ll move on to the next.” She took a bite of her sandwich and then shook her head. “Don’t do that though, like what I just said. It’s not a good habit to get into.” 

“No?” Emma treaded carefully. She knew next to nothing about dating or hooking up, but she did know that what M was doing was pretty much being a slut. Not that she’d say that to her though, because it wasn’t any of her business. 

“Nope. I swear though, I’m just having fun. I don’t even plan to sleep with any of them... well, at least not till after the second date or so.” M gave a small laugh. “But as soon as I meet a guy I want to settle down with, all this stops. No more playing around, no more acting like a slut.” 

She nodded, a little surprised to hear M refer to herself as such. “Right.” 

“By the way, do you wanna come over for dinner on Saturday? It’ll just be me and Daddy. The Evil Queen will be away.” 

Emma remembered about M’s stepmother and smiled. “Yeah sure, I’d love to. What time?” 

“Come around five or so. We like to eat early.”

“Emma! You’re up at the fryer tonight first, let’s get a move on!” 

Emma turned toward the sound of Granny calling her from the cash register. She smiled at both of them and gestured to the back of the kitchen. Standing up and taking their empty plates, Emma nodded at M. “I better go. Thanks for the dinner invite. See you tomorrow?” 

“You bet, right by the bathroom mirrors again. I’ll text you my address later,” M said with a smile and a wave. 

She hurried to the back to clean up and get her hair up along with an apron on. She passed by Leroy the janitor mopping the floors by the bathroom, complaining about life like he always did everyday. 

“For fuck sakes, I hope I can get this goddamn floor done and leave before Granny makes me clean the toilets,” he muttered under his breath. 

She paused in the middle of tying her apron. “You know she always makes you though, because you mop so slow. You can never get out of here fast enough.” She liked teasing him. He was always so brutally honest about everything, that he could never fail to make her laugh. 

He rolled his eyes. “Quit talking to me, sister. You’re gonna make me distracted and then she’ll ask me to do it.” 

“Hey, you’re the one who talked to me first!” Emma said, holding her hands up in surrender. 

“Technically I was muttering under my-”

“LEROY!” Granny bellowed, walking up to them. “Finish up there quick, you need to do the toilets before you can leave for the night.” 

Biting back a smile, she heard Leroy swear. “Eugenia,” he pleaded. “Come on, I ain’t no slave here!” 

“No you’re not, but you’re my employee and when I ask you to do something, you do it for me, understood?” Firm and no-nonsense like, Granny stood with her hands on her hips. 

“Yes ma’am,” he muttered. Then more quietly, “Jesus Christ, that woman’s gonna be the death of me.” 

However, Granny had sharp hearing just like a wolf. “You know Leroy, if you would just let me take you out sometime and go for a drink, it might help take the edge off things.” Then she grinned. “Who knows, maybe you’d even enjoy yourself for once.” 

Leroy threw down his mop and folded his arms. “You know if we did that, we’d probably end up under the sheets together?” 

“Probably,” Granny said. “Wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened though.” 

“It would be for me,” Leroy grumbled. “Now let me do my mopping and get back to work, alright? I wanna get outta here so I can go home and put my feet up.” 

“Don’t you ever think about you and I together?” Granny asked slyly. 

“The only time I think about you is when I wake up in the morning and realize I’ll have to see your fucking face again!” he yelled. “God damn, is there anything other than sex on your mind?” 

“Of course dear, you.” She winked and headed back into the kitchen. 

As soon as Granny left, Emma burst out laughing. “Oh my god, she just won’t give up on you hey?” 

“More like won’t take a fucking hint,” he muttered. He picked up the mop and bucket and began walking away. “Maybe I should sign up for that dating site after all.” 

“Or maybe you should give her a chance. I think she really likes you,” Emma said, smiling. She really did think that the two of them would be good together. It was just too bad that Leroy couldn’t see it yet. 

As she headed into the kitchen and took over from one of the other cooks, she smiled and couldn’t help but feel happy. The first day at her new school had gone better than she’d thought it would. She had a new friend and a new crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know... Leroy and Granny 😂😂😂


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

As soon as Emma looked up at the house across the way, she was sure she had the wrong address. Not only was she in a different part of the city than she was used to, she had also realized that each house she had passed by in this neighbourhood seemed to get bigger and bigger. Big play structures and massive trampolines were in many of the front lawns, and in the drive ways were at least two shiny new cars. Some of the houses even had three car garages attached to them; she hadn’t even known those existed! 

M’s house was definitely one of the biggest, and she automatically wondered how many bedrooms were inside. It was a large brown house with big glass windows, and there were large topiaries in the yard. Squinting, Emma realized that one of them looked a lot like M. Amazed, she stared at for a few moments and then realized that someone could be watching her. Cheeks reddening, she pulled out the plate of pie that Granny had helped her make that morning. It was cherry, and she was really proud of how it turned out. 

As she walked up the front walkway and rang the doorbell, she wondered for a moment if a servant would answer the door. However, when the door opened and her friend was standing there, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Hey!” she managed to say. “Man, this is some house!” 

“Thanks,” M said, smiling and taking the pie. “Oh my god, did you make this? It looks delicious!” 

“Uh huh.” Emma forced a smile, hoping that it didn’t seem pitiful or anything. She wondered for the first time what they would be eating. “I hope it turned out okay.” 

“Oh I’m sure it did!” M looked over her shoulder. “Betty, would you please take this to the kitchen?” 

A woman in a pressed uniform came right away and took the pie, disappearing as quietly as she had come. 

“You guys actually have servants?” Emma widened her eyes. “Holy fuck.” 

“Only a few,” M said, looking embarrassed for a second. “We used to have more but my stepmother fired a few. I have no idea why. I think she just finds faults in others to make herself feel better.” 

“So she’s not here right?” 

“Nope. Come and meet my father,” M said, taking her hand. She led her through a massive foyer that had pictures on the walls of M when she was younger, and into a giant living room. 

An older man sat on a chair, reading a book and drinking what smelled like wine. “Daddy,” M announced. “This is Emma, the girl I met on my first day of school.” 

He looked up and put his book down. He smiled and Emma saw that him and M had the same eyes. “How do you do, Emma? I’ve heard plenty about you.” 

“Pleased to meet you sir,” she answered timidly, shaking his hand. “What a beautiful home.” 

He waved off the compliment and gestured to the couch across from him. “Call me Leopold, Emma. Please, sit down.” 

They did and Emma glanced around the big room. Her eyes fell on several photos of a woman, one who was very beautiful. “Is that Gina?” she asked M, pointing to the photos. “Your stepmother?” 

“Oh heavens no,” Leopold said, shaking his head. “That is Eva, my first wife and M’s mother.” 

Looking closer, she began to see more of a resemblance between Eva and M. In fact, it seemed like M was the mirror image of her. “I’m sorry for your loss. M told me a little about her.” 

“She was wonderful,” Leopold said thoughtfully, and the look on his face suggested that he was lost in a memory. “It’s unfortunate she died when she did, but as they say: the good die young.” Then he smiled. “But my daughter reminds me of her every day. She looks just like her.” 

“I thought it would be hard on Daddy, for me to remind him of her. But I think it really helps,” M said, smiling at her father. “I’m going to be just like her one day.” 

“I know you will be darling,” Leopold answered. He got up then and picked up his wineglass. “Excuse me.” 

Her and M watched as he left the room and she turned to her friend. “Is he alright?” 

“He’s fine. Everyday before dinner, he goes into his room and talks to my mother. He still has her portrait hanging above his bed.” 

Emma tilted her head. “Does that piss of your stepmother? Like, does she mind still having your mom’s pictures all over the house?” 

“If she doesn’t like it, she doesn’t say anything about it,” M said with a shrug. “I think its just hard for her because she knows she’ll never be able to step into her shadow. She’s nothing like my mother was. And never will be.” 

Emma bit her lip, not knowing what to say. M and her father seemed awfully harsh about this stepmother. “Perhaps she can learn?” 

“I doubt it,” M said, dismissing it immediately. “Honestly, I don’t know why Daddy married her or what he saw in her. I think he only did it because he wanted a mother figure for me, other than Johanna.” She played with her hair for a moment, thinking. “She’ll never be one though.” 

She was about to speak when she heard a bell ringing in the distance. “Oh! That means that dinner’s ready,” M said, standing up. “I hope you’re hungry. Tessie, our cook, always makes a delicious meal.” 

They stood up and Emma followed M throughout the house to the dining room. Her thoughts kept drifting to this mysterious stepmother, and she momentarily felt bad for her. Then she shook her head. She wasn’t supposed to, after all, M was her friend. She pushed the thought out of head and got ready to enjoy dinner with M and her father. 

*****

“So Emma, what are your plans for after graduation?” 

So far, dinner was going smoothly and it was extremely delicious. The cook brought out numerous plates of food, and each dish smelled better than the previous one. She had helped herself to a little of everything and turned to Leopold to answer his question. “I’d really like to be a writer, so I hope to major in journalism or maybe creative writing.” She had saved some money in her education account for university, but she wasn’t sure she would have enough for a four year bachelor’s degree, so she was hoping that she’d be able to apply for a scholarship or something. 

“Wonderful!” He turned to M. “See? You should consider something like that.” 

Emma looked questioningly at her friend who shrugged. “I want to be a lawyer, but Daddy says he doesn’t want me to deal with such horrid matters.” 

“So many gruesome things, darling,” Leopold said. “Nothing I would ever want you to have to see or deal with.” 

There was a tension that appeared in the room just then, and Emma looked between the two of them as she took a bite of mashed potatoes. Should she say something? 

M looked at her food for a moment and Emma saw her roll her eyes slightly. Then when she looked up she pasted a smile on her face. “Maybe I could be a legal assistant then.” 

“You could,” Leopold answered. He sounded more approving of that choice and cut into his baked chicken. “I don’t want you to have to work too hard, that’s what your husband is for.” 

“Right,” M said, with her mouth full. She looked at Emma and raised her eyebrows playfully. 

“Uh uh, M...” Leopold suddenly scolded. “I don’t pay for your etiquette classes for nothing. It is unbecoming of a lady to chew with her mouth closed.” 

“Sorry,” M mumbled. She took a sip of water. “I forgot.” 

Emma wondered at the turn of events that was suddenly taking place. Getting a husband to support you? Etiquette classes? “Wow,” she said, trying not to look judgemental. “Etiquette classes? Those are a thing?” 

“Yeah. I’ve been taking them since I was ten,” M said. “They’re not as cheesy as they sound. Actually they’re kind of fun.” 

“They’re meant to help M become a proper lady so as to attract a nice young man in the nearby future,” Leopold explained. “Which hopefully at your coming out ball, you’ll be ready to do just that.” 

“Coming out ball?”

“Yeah. It’s a big night where a bunch of young women “come out” into society,” M said, looking at her. “Traditionally, it was done so that a woman could find a husband, but now its more for fun. And of course, it’s a big rite of passage too. I have to wear a white dress and everyone takes their turn to walk across the room and bow.” 

“You’ll be the most beautiful girl there,” Leopold said, smiling. 

Emma zoned out for a little bit as she finished her dinner. She hadn’t realized what was going on until everything got all quiet and she looked up to see her pie being sliced and served by Betty, along with vanilla ice-cream. Her cheeks turned red as Leopold and M both tasted it. 

“Oh Emma, this is so good!” M exclaimed, smiling. “I love it.” 

“It’s exquisitely made, well done,” Leopold said approvingly. “Can you make any other flavours?” 

Emma relaxed, secretly delighted that her pie had been such a hit. “Sure.” 

“Next time you come, I’d love to try some of your apple pie,” he said. Once he finished eating, he wiped his mouth and stood up. “I’ll leave you girls to your gossiping and giggling. You are welcome here anytime, Emma.” 

M waited until he left and then turned to her. “Sorry about him, he can act a little strange sometimes.” 

“Maybe not strange, but he seems kind of traditional,” Emma whispered, afraid that someone might overhear them. “He totally put you down for wanting to go to law school. It’s as if he thinks a woman can’t be a good lawyer.” 

“I know,” M said, spooning ice-cream into her mouth. “I have to work on him. But I still have lots of time. There’s still nine months until graduation.” Then she looked up at Emma and smiled. “About the ball though, will you come?” 

“Me?” she asked, sounding surprised. “Are you sure? I mean, I don’t know if I know everything about etiquette...” 

“Oh don’t worry about that! You’ll be my guest,” M reassured. 

“Well then, sure. I’d love to,” Emma said, smiling. “It does sound kind of fun.” 

“It will be, but I still need to ask some guy to be my escort.” 

“Well, I know of about eight that would love to be asked,” she teased. 

“Ha ha,” M said, forcing a smile. “I don’t know about any of them. I mean, sure those guys are great to have fun with. But this is such a serious thing.” Then she sighed. “And I need to start getting serious about relationships.” 

“Hey, I’m sure you’ll find someone,” Emma reassured. “When is it, anyway?” 

“The first week of June,” M replied. She smiled and stood up. “You’re right. So, I’ve been wanting to ask you this for a while but I didn’t know if you would be comfortable with it.” She looked down at her hands. “Can I give you a makeover?” 

“A makeover?” she laughed nervously. “Really?” 

“Yeah. Like maybe do a bold lip with a bronze eye and straighten your hair,” M looked at her pleadingly. “I think it’ll be fun! And I can teach you some tips as well.” 

“Okay,” Emma agreed, standing up. “That sounds great.” 

She followed M up the stairs and they passed by what she assumed was Leopold’s room. As she walked by, she heard the sound of the bed creaking and someone moaning. She stopped in her tracks. Was that what she thought it was?

She turned to see if M had heard as well, but saw that she had continued walking down the hall. Emma wondered if she should say something, but then had another thought: maybe she already knew. 

Shrugging to herself, she hurried to catch up with M. It was none of her business anyway. 

*****

“Emma, may I see you for a minute?” 

The bell had just rang, signalling the end of class. Emma had been working on her first book report, and had been writing down some points that she wanted to include in it. She was doing her report on The Handmaid’s Tale. She looked up and saw Ms. Mills smiling at her, so she smiled back and nodded. 

For the past few weeks, Emma had taken M’s advice to heart and had began to wear a bit of makeup to school. First she had borrowed M’s, but she had finally broke down and bought some of her own. She liked how the lipgloss added a shine to her lips and the mascara a pop to her eyes. She wondered if Ms. Mills had noticed that she had started to wear it. 

Waiting for everyone else to leave, Emma picked up her binder and walked up to Ms. Mills’ desk. “Is everything okay?” she asked shyly. 

“Absolutely dear,” Ms. Mills said. “I wanted to tell you that I have really enjoyed reading your weekly journal entries, and that you have quite a way with words!” Then she tilted her head and smiled. “Sometimes, I even grab yours first to mark because I look forward to reading it every week.” 

“Wow thank you,” Emma said, feeling a little self-conscious. She was pleased that her writing was being enjoyed so much. She’d done very well on all of them so far, and was counting on hopefully getting a good grade on her first book report, which was due soon.

“I mean it, Emma. I really think you have a true gift.” Ms. Mills looked at her curiously. “Tell me, what are your plans for after graduation? I really think that you could be a fantastic writer.” 

“I do hope to go to university,” she replied. “I don’t know if I have enough money for tuition, so I’m counting on hopefully applying for some scholarships this year. I’d really like to major in creative writing or journalism.” 

“That sounds wonderful, Emma. I think you would do very well in either of those fields,” Ms. Mills commented. “If you would like some help with applying, I’d be happy to.” 

“Thank you, I’d appreciate that,” Emma said, smiling. She felt as if she was glowing from the inside out. “That would be wonderful.” Then she checked the time on the wall. “I’m sorry, but I must get home so I can do my homework. If I don’t get there soon, the dinner time crowd will be arriving and all the noise makes it difficult to concentrate.” 

“Dinner time crowd?” Ms. Mills asked. “Does your family own a restaurant?” 

“Um, sort of.” She looked at her teacher, debating whether or not to share her story with her. “It’s kind of a long story, but I grew up in foster care and was homeless for some time. But an older lady and her granddaughter took me in and let me stay with them. They happen to own a diner and they gave me a waitressing job there.” 

“Oh I’m sorry to hear that, dear,” Ms. Mills said sympathetically. “That’s sure nice of them though.” She was quiet for a moment and Emma waited to see what she would say next. “How many shifts do you work a week?” 

“Usually four to five, and most of them are evening shifts,” Emma said. “Although I’m finding I need more time for my homework, so I talked to them and they’re gonna give me later evening shifts. Like six to closing. I’m also going to work longer shifts on the weekend, like morning and afternoon shifts. They’re really understanding.” 

“I wonder Emma, if maybe you might like to stay here and do your homework in my classroom after school. That way, you have a quiet place to study and you won’t be bothered by the noise from the diner.” 

Emma couldn’t believe her ears. She tried to keep herself from grinning too wide. “Oh wow, honestly that would be great. But, are you sure Ms. Mills?” Surely this woman had to get home to her family. “What about your husband and kids?” 

“They’ll be fine without me, dear. They hardly notice I’m there half the time,” Ms. Mills said. Emma noticed that she looked a little sad. “My husband is a very demanding person. We don’t always see eye to eye. And his daughter, my stepdaughter, he gives her everything she wants. She has grown up to be quite spoiled.” 

“Oh,” she said, wishing she knew what to say. That sounded like hell. “That’s too bad. But, sure. I’d love to stay here and do my homework after school. Thanks.” 

“You’re welcome.” Ms. Mills stood and stretched. “Would you like to start today? I was going to go make a little something to eat in the teacher’s lounge, and I always make extra. Are you hungry?” 

“Oh actually, I have an earlier shift today, so I can’t,” Emma said, feeling bad. She couldn’t believe that Ms. Mills stayed here late everyday, because of the problems with her family. “I’m really sorry.” 

Ms. Mills smiled and touched her shoulder. “Not to worry, dear. Tomorrow then.” She walked her out of the classroom. “Have a goodnight, Emma.” 

“Thank you, you too.” 

Emma hurried to her locker to grab her backpack and coat, and couldn’t stop smiling now that she was alone. She got to spend extra time with Ms. Mills! She closed her locker and left, beginning the walk to Granny’s. She felt as if she had just hit the jackpot.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

The next day after school, Emma walked to Ms. Mills classroom. She was so nervous that she could feel her heart beating double time. She’d even touched up her makeup and changed her hairstyle twice before going. 

Now she stood shyly outside, watching as Ms. Mills sat writing at her desk. She cleared her throat and walked inside. “Hi,” she said, wincing at how nervous she sounded. 

Ms. Mills looked up and smiled. “Hi Emma,” she said. “Please, take a seat and get comfy.” 

She nodded and sat down in the third row; close enough to be able to check her out but not so close that it would make her too nervous to focus. She began pulling out her homework and a pencil. 

Ms. Mills stood up and walked over to her. Emma swallowed nervously and peered up at her, trying to remain cool. “I was going to go to the teacher’s lounge and make myself a sandwich. Would you like one, dear?” 

Emma nodded. “Sure, that’d be great. Thanks.” 

“No worries.” Ms. Mills began to walk away but then stopped. “Oh, and I don’t think you’ll need my help with your homework since you’re such a smart girl, but if you do get stuck, don’t hesitate to ask me for help.” 

Emma nodded again and blushed as soon as she left. Was that a compliment? 

Spreading her homework out on the desk in front of her, she tried to decide what to finish first. She had a math worksheet, a psychology test to study for, and her book report. She decided to tackle the worksheet first, since she had finished most of it in class. She picked up her pencil and got to work. 

About fifteen minutes later, Emma had finished her math and switched to working on her book report. She was busily writing out the intro to it when Ms. Mills walked in carrying two plates. “Here we go.” 

Looking up, she smiled and put down her pen. “Thanks,” she said, standing up and walking over to accept the plate. She hesitated on whether she should go back to her seat to eat it, then decided to sit closer to Ms. Mills, in case she might like to talk. She took a bite and her eyes lit up. “Oh my goodness,” she said, savouring the melted cheese. “This is so good.” 

Ms. Mills smiled and took a bite of her own sandwich. “This is the first thing I learned to cook on my own. I think I was about eleven or so. And it was also the first time I’d had one.” 

“Really?” Emma asked, looking surprised. “HOW is that possible? Aren’t these something that all kids eat?” 

“Well, every kid except my sister and I,” Ms. Mills laughed. “My mother insisted on cooking very fancy things for us, like filet mignon and risotto. She thought that things like grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken fingers, and french fries were garbage.” 

She tilted her head. “Wow, that sounds kind of like torture.” 

“Oh it was. It’s one of the things I dread whenever I have to go to visit her.” Ms. Mills eyed her curiously. “Do you like to cook?” 

“Yeah I do actually. I like seeing people enjoy the things I make, it brings me so much satisfaction. And I’d say I’m pretty decent at it since I’ve done so much of it.” 

“What’s the name of the diner you work at, dear?” Ms. Mills asked. 

“It’s called Granny’s,” she replied. “Have you been there before?” 

“I don’t believe I have, but I’ll have to come by sometime,” Ms. Mills said. “I’d love to try your cooking.” 

Emma blushed as she finished the rest of her sandwich. “I’d like that.” 

As soon as they’d finished eating, both went back to their desks to get some work done. Emma found herself smiling as she began writing again. She could hardly wait for tomorrow after school, where she would see Ms. Mills again. 

*****

Emma watched nervously in gym class as balls sailed across the room. Everyone was playing dodgeball, and shrieks and yelled erupted here and there as people got hit. 

“C’mon Emma!” M said, throwing her fourth ball that had hit someone out on the other team. She pumped her fists in the air and turned to her. “Help me get people out!” 

Swallowing nervously, she shook her head. “I’m scared I’ll get hit,” she said meekly. “Remember what happened to that girl last time? She just about got a concussion.” 

“Oh no she didn’t, don’t be so dramatic,” M said, rolling her eyes. She pulled her over. “You just gotta avoid being hit, that’s all. Now come on!” 

Emma sighed, edging slowly away from the wall and towards a ball that happened to roll her way. Picking it up, she threw it and watched as it sailed through the air in a perfect arc and hit somebody. 

“Woo!” M said, giving her a high-five. “See? That wasn’t so bad!” 

Emma managed a smile, and began getting more into the game. She found herself actually beginning to enjoy herself as she dodged the balls coming her way and threw more at people. 

Just when she thought all was good though, she had just been picking up a ball when suddenly one hit her right in the head and sent her flying backwards. She landed on her back. 

“Emma!” She heard the sound of footsteps running over and a second later she saw M standing above her. “Oh my god, are you alright?” 

“Ugh,” she managed to say, putting a hand to her head. 

The sound of a whistle blew and suddenly she saw her gym teacher standing over her as well. He helped her up and then ordered M to walk with her to the nurse’s office. 

As soon as they were out in the hallway, she felt tears burning the back of her eyes. “I’m so embarrassed,” she moaned. “I can’t believe I got hit like that.” 

“Hey, it could’ve happened to anyone,” M said, rubbing her back. “Do you feel dizzy?” 

“A bit,” she said, groaning. “Does it look bad?” 

“You don’t have a goose egg or anything, which is good. But this one area is really red,” M replied. “Maybe you’ll get sent home.” 

Inside, Emma’s heart sank. That meant that she wouldn’t get to go to English class or stay after school with Ms. Mills. The thought of not seeing her made her feel sad. 

Sure enough, the nurse examined her and said that her forehead looked as to be expected after getting hit, but that it would do her good to go home and get some rest. M walked her to her locker to get her things, then they went to the office and called Ruby. She promised to be there right away. 

“I hope you feel better soon,” M said. “I’ll text you later!” 

Emma waved halfheartedly and sat outside the office, waiting for Ruby to come. She closed her eyes and sighed. So far, this day was going horribly. 

“Emma? My goodness, are you alright?” 

Opening her eyes at the sound of that beautiful voice that filled the air, she saw Ms. Mills standing there with a look of concern. “I got hit in the head with a dodgeball,” Emma explained. “I’m a little dizzy, so the nurse suggested that I go home. I’m just waiting for my ride.” 

“Oh I’m glad it’s not something more serious,” Ms. Mills replied. “I’m sure you’ll feel better after some sleep, dear. Would you like me to help you walk outside?” 

Immediately, her heart began beating like crazy. She couldn’t believe that she’d actually offered to help her. “S-sure,” she managed. “That’d be great.” 

“Are you able to walk?” Ms Mills inquired, helping her to stand up. 

“Yeah, I think so.” Emma stood up and felt a little wobbly on her feet. “Woah.” 

“Hang on dear,” Ms. Mills said. She pulled her into her arms and easily scooped her up. Then, she pulled her backpack over her shoulder. “There, does that feel alright?” 

Emma wanted to say that this didn’t just feel alright, that it felt wonderful. “Yes,” she managed to say. She honestly felt like she’d died and gone to heaven, and had woken up in the arms of an angel. 

She slipped her arms around Ms. Mills’ neck as she carried her down the hall and out the doors. She honestly wished that this would never end and Ruby would get stuck in traffic for like an hour. But to her dismay, Ruby was waiting right in front of the school and she came out when she saw them coming towards her. “Em!!! Oh my god, are you okay?” she asked, looking concerned. 

“She just had a little hit on her head, all she needs is some rest and she’ll be fine,” Ms. Mills answered for her. Ruby opened the passenger door and let the teacher slide her in and buckle her. Emma felt like her face was on fire as she watched Ms. Mills tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Feel better, dear.” 

“Thanks,” Emma mumbled, smiling up at her. She watched as she said something to Ruby and then headed back into the school. 

“Whoa, who was that?” Ruby asked, getting into the car and starting it. 

“The love of my life,” she said dreamily, still caught up in what had just happened. “Oh man, she’s so hot.” 

“Well, someone’s certainly smitten,” Ruby teased. “She dresses like a teacher.” 

“She is a teacher,” Emma said, finally snapping out of it. “She teaches me English.” 

“Wow Em, that’s so bold,” Ruby said, grinning. “Crushing hard on a teacher. I think she likes you too though.” 

“Really?” she just about hit the ceiling as she turned to her friend. “How can you tell?!?!” 

Laughing, Ruby smirked. “Cause of the way she looks at you, you dork. Anyone can see it.” 

Emma pondered this thought the whole way back to the diner. She wondered if other people could see it too. However badly she’d been hit, she’d take a thousand more if only to have Ms. Mills carry her like that again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

The next morning, Emma woke up feeling much better and more rested than she had yesterday. As soon as her and Ruby had gotten back to the diner, Granny had made her go straight to bed. She had slept for while and then had gotten up to eat some chicken soup that had been made for her, then had gone back to bed again. She figured that she’d gotten at least fourteen hours of sleep altogether, and she felt great. She stretched and reached for her phone. She had a text from M. 

M: Are u coming to school today? Hope ur feeling better <3 

Emma: Yeah I’m feeling much better, thanks M. 

Emma got out of bed to pick out what she wanted to wear for the day and took her phone into the bathroom with her. It beeped again just as she was about to get into the shower. 

M: Wanna go shopping for Halloween costumes this weekend? Then maybe you can sleepover at my house? 

Emma: Yes to both! See you soon 

Emma smiled as she set her phone on the counter and stepped into the shower. She could hardly wait to see Ms. Mills later. 

*****

Emma was happy when she walked into Ms. Mills class. The teacher immediately came over to her desk. “Hello Emma, how are you feeling?” 

She smiled and set her binder down. “I’m much better. I had like a fourteen hour nap and I think it really helped.” 

“Oh I’m so glad, dear.” Ms. Mills looked around to make sure no one was listening and then leaned in closer. “I have some curry chicken and rice for us to eat after. I hope you like Indian food.” 

“That sounds delicious! Thanks, Ms. Mills!” 

Class began a moment later and Emma tried to focus on the lecture Ms. Mills gave on Romeo and Juliet, which they were reading for class. She was a little distracted by the shirt that she had on. It was one of her favourites, a black silk blouse that had bell sleeves and showed just the right amount of cleavage. It was a beautiful colour on her, and it was all she could do not to rip the shirt off and cup her gorgeous breasts. Her face reddened as soon as that thought popped into her head and she forced herself to continue writing down notes. 

Towards the end of class, they were all given a sheet of possible essay questions they could choose. Emma was scanning the list when she heard two girls whispering behind her. 

“That M girl is such a slut. Like, who does she think she is?” 

Her ears perked up as soon as she heard her friend’s name. She had to work hard to not whip her head around to see who it was. She wanted nothing more than to defend her, but she had no idea what to say. 

“I heard she got expelled from her old school, for sleeping with all the guys. It’s probably only a matter of time before she’s gone.” 

That was it. Emma turned and locked eyes with the two girls about a row behind her. “Sorry, but is that any of your business?” 

One of them, a blonde with a nose ring and too much eye makeup looked at her. “What?” 

“What’s it to you if a girl is a virgin or if she sleeps around? If it doesn’t concern you, then why bother to worry?” 

Both girls looked at each other, then went back to doing their schoolwork. It seemed as if she had scared them off. She had a tendency to do that when she needed to, and she could look real tough if she tried. Just then the bell rang and everyone began packing up their things. 

Emma’s stomach began to growl as she thought of the curry that Ms. Mills had brought, and she eagerly packed up her binder and waited for everyone else to leave. 

“Were those two girls behind you bothering you, Emma?” 

Emma walked up to Ms. Mills and shook her head. “Nah, everything’s fine.” She had handled it herself and didn’t want more people talking about M than necessary. 

“Alright dear.” She studied her for a moment and then smiled. “You look so pretty when you wear your hair like that by the way.” 

Emma began to blush and reached up self-consciously to run a hand through her hair. She had curled it and put it up in a half up half down style. She knew how she’d be wearing her hair for the rest of the year now. “Thanks.” 

Ms. Mills passed by her and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “I’m just going to go heat our food up.” 

Emma nodded, and touched the side of her hoodie that Ms. Mills had just touched. She never wanted to wash it now. 

Her phone buzzed and she looked to see that it was a text from M. She was talking about a guy who had picked her up after school and taken her out for burgers and fries. There were a whole bunch of winky faces next to it and Emma could just imagine what would happen next. She replied ‘Be safe’ and put her phone away. Since the school year started, M had “gone out” with about six different guys in total. They usually hooked up for a day or two and then she would move on to the next. This usually always happened after school, and she was glad that her friend had something to do during her time with Ms. Mills. She had finally confessed to having a secret crush in her English class, but she hadn’t exactly spilled the beans that it was her teacher. She just wasn’t ready to yet. And besides, she liked keeping this to herself. 

A wonderful smell drifted towards her and Emma looked up to see Ms. Mills carrying two bowls of the curry chicken over rice. She inhaled deeply and sighed. “Wow, that smells good.” 

The teacher placed a bowl at her desk and handed her a spoon. “Eat up now, while it’s still hot.” 

Emma blew on it and took a delicate bite. Instantly, her mouth began watering. “Oh my god, this is great!” She took another bite and tried to keep from moaning. “What restaurant is this from?” 

Ms. Mills smiled and took her own bite. “Actually, I made it myself.” 

Her eyes just about popped out of her head. “Are you serious? Ms. Mills, this is delicious! You could’ve been a great chef, I hope you know that.” 

“Well, if only everyone was that enthusiastic about my cooking.” Ms. Mills put down her spoon for a second, looking a little sad. 

Emma tilted her head, not liking the look on her face. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Your family must be so lucky, you’re a wonderful cook.” It was true. Other than the sandwiches and now the curry, Ms. Mills had also made her meatloaf and mashed potatoes, cheese and broccoli soup, beef stew, and once, even sushi. The woman had clear talent, and Emma thought she was just as good a cook as Granny was. 

Ms. Mills shook her head and went back to eating. “They don’t like my cooking very much at all. I’ve tried to make so many things for them but it always seems to get pushed to the back of the fridge or thrown out.” 

She frowned. “That’s horrible! And a perfectly good waste of food.” She thought back to all the times she’d never gotten enough to eat in foster care. There were even some times where she had picked through the garbage to eat apple cores or the peels from bananas. “So, what’s the deal? Do they just cook for themselves? Or order in?” 

“We have a cook employed at our house, although there are times where they enjoy going out to eat or ordering take out,” Ms. Mills said sadly. “It seems like nothing I ever make is good enough for them. That’s why I tend to eat before I go home.” 

Emma thought that was one of the saddest things she’d ever heard. She looked up at her. “Well, I’m glad I can eat with you after school,” she said. “And don’t believe your family, because you’re an amazing cook. Granny would absolutely be thrilled to have you in her kitchen.” 

“Granny?” 

“Oh, that’s the woman who took me in,” she explained. “The girl who picked me up the other day is her granddaughter. Anyway, everyone calls her Granny, but her name is actually Eugenia.” 

“Ah yes,” Ms. Mills said, looking thoughtful. “I still need to get to that diner someday. Perhaps I could come by this weekend.” 

Emma felt her heart leap. “Yeah! That’d be great. I work both days.” She hoped that she didn’t sound too desperate or anything. 

Ms. Mills stood up and came over to where she was sitting. “I’m really glad I met you, Emma.” She bent down and hugged her. 

She felt strong arms wrap around her and she swore she felt all the air rush out of her lungs. She swallowed and hugged her back. “Me too,” she managed to say. “Me too.” You have no idea, she thought to herself.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

“What about this?” M asked, holding up a costume. “I could be a stripper!” 

Emma laughed as she flipped through all the costumes. “You’d get kicked out of school for sure.” 

The two of them were looking for Halloween costumes, and so far, Emma had found nothing that she would seriously consider dressing up as. M had suggested she be Alice in Wonderland or Barbie, but she had decided against both. They just didn’t feel right to her. “Hey, why don’t you be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?” she asked, holding up the blue gingham dress. “You’d look cute.” 

“I dressed up as her last year,” M replied. She sighed and put her hand on her hips. “This is like the hardest thing ever, deciding what to be for Halloween.” 

“When I was little, the first thing I was for Halloween was a pumpkin,” she said, smiling at the memory. She had actually had a decent foster family then, just a young couple who didn’t have any kids. She felt that she would’ve stayed longer with them if the woman hadn’t eventually died from cancer and the man hadn’t chosen to give her back because he didn’t know what to do with her. 

“I was a little princess,” M said, laughing. “I even had a crown and everything.” She rummaged through some more things then pulled out a dress. “I’ve got it! I’ll be Snow White,” she said. “All I need to do is stay away from apples,” she joked. 

“That’s perfect!” Emma said. “You look just like her.” 

“Now we just need to find you a costume,” M said, shifting the costume to one arm so she could still browse with the other. “Maybe you should be a princess too? There’s Elsa and Sleeping Beauty.” 

But she shook her head, continuing to look. She wanted something really good, something that would catch Ms. Mills’ eyes. She blushed as she thought of the way they had hugged the other day. And also when she had gotten hit in gym and the teacher had carried her out of the school. Surely those had to count for something? 

The two of then continued searching, until at last she had found the perfect costume. “I found it!” she cried, holding it up. “I’m going to be a pirate princess.” The dress was red with white sleeves and the length of it went down to about her knees, and it even came with fishnet stockings and a little pirate hat. She had a pair of black boots that would look great with it. 

“Oh you’ll look gorgeous in that!” M exclaimed, coming over to her. “You should crimp your hair when you wear it, it would look really good.” 

Emma smiled as the two of them went up to pay for their costumes. Inside, she was bounding around with glee. She had found a great costume, one that was bound to catch and hold Ms. Mills’ gaze. She couldn’t wait until Halloween. 

*****

“Order up!” Emma called, placing a cappuccino and a grilled cheese outside the order window. 

Turning around, she began working on the next order, which was a lemonade and a ham sandwich with a side of fries. She turned back to the window and saw that the stuff was still there. “Leroy!” she yelled, glancing out at the counter. “Order up!” 

He glanced up, startled. “Sorry,” he said. He took the food and delivered it to the proper table and came back. “I’m trying to set up my dating profile.” 

“You’re actually serious about that?” she asked, quickly chopping up some potatoes and getting them ready for the deep fryer. “What about Granny?” 

“What about her? I told you, I’m not interested.” He pulled out his phone again. “Okay,” he muttered. “Age...” he looked up at her. “Do you think I should put my actual age?” 

“Duh, yeah you should. Otherwise you kind of seem like a creep,” she said, prepping the sandwich. 

“What’s going on here?” Ruby asked, entering the kitchen. “Leroy, why are you on your phone?” 

“Because I’m trying to set up my dating profile,” he answered. “Okay, age is done. Next, height.” He sighed. “I don’t wanna put it. I’m so fucking short, I wonder if it’ll be a turn off for some girls.” 

“The right one will not care about that at all,” Ruby said, glancing at the order stub hanging on the wall and grabbing a glass. She began to make lemonade. “What’s your type anyway? Describe it for me.” 

Leroy thought, tilting his head. “Hmm, I guess someone in their mid thirties or so. Down to earth and just interested in having a good time. Um, I’ve always had a thing for brunettes.” 

Ruby shook her head. “Oh my god, there’s no way you’re going to attract anyone like that. You’ve got way too many daddy vibes.” 

“Daddy vibes? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He scratched his head. “I don’t even have kids.” 

Emma laughed. “No! Like it means that you kind of look like an older daddy type.” 

“Its like you’ll give off that vibe to girls,” Ruby finished. She headed back out into the restaurant with the lemonade and turned on her heel. “You’ll just appeal to younger girls, that’s all. It’s kind of a big thing for them right now.” 

Leroy groaned as she left. “What the hell, thanks a lot you two. I was looking forward to this.” 

“And you still can,” Emma said, as she quickly made up the ham sandwich. “You either need to settle for someone younger, or someone older.” She smirked. “Like Granny.” 

He scowled and Emma laughed again as Ruby entered the back. “Hey Em, there’s someone here to see you.” 

“Really?” Emma perked up, hoping it was who she thought it was. “Who?” 

“Your hot teacher,” she replied, with a wink. “She’s asking for you. Now wipe the flour off your face, redo your ponytail, and get out there. I’ll take over in here for you.” 

Emma quickly took a cloth and wiped at her face, then she let her hair down and shook it out. Quickly tying it back up, she headed out the doors and out to see her teacher. 

Ms. Mills sat at a booth in the back, looking at the menu. She glanced up as Emma approached. “Hi Emma,” she said kindly. “Don’t you look cute in your uniform.” 

She blushed, and put her hands behind her back. “Thanks,” she said, looking surprised to see that Ms. Mills was wearing jeans. “So, you’re here!” 

“As I said I would be,” Ms. Mills answered. She continued to flip through the menu. “So, any good recommendations here?” She looked up and smiled. 

“Um,” she tried to think, but it was difficult with a beautiful face smiling at her. “Well, the apple pie is very good. And my personal favourite is the grilled cheese, but we also get a lot of compliments on our macaroni and cheese and our soups of the day. Today’s happens to be baked potato bacon.” 

“Hmm.” Ms. Mills put a finger to her lips. “That all sounds very good. I for sure would like to get the apple pie for dessert, as it’s one of my favourites.” She continued to think. “I just can’t decide.” 

Then Emma had an idea. “Why don’t I make you up a little plate of everything? That way you can try it all.” 

Warm brown eyes lit up and she nodded. “That would be wonderful, dear. And I’ll just have a glass of water with a lemon to drink.” 

“Coming right up.” She hurried into the kitchen and beamed. Leroy and Ruby looked up. “Ms. Mills would like to try some grilled cheese sandwich, a bit of macaroni and cheese, and a small bowl of the baked potato bacon soup. And apple pie for dessert.” 

“Wowza!” Ruby said, looking impressed. “Sounds good. I’ll start on all that for you.” Then she looked a bit worried. “I hope she likes it. After what you told me about her, her cooking makes her sound like a gourmet chef.” 

“Yeah I hope so too, but I have a feeling she will,” Emma replied, filling a glass of water and looking for some lemon.

“Hang on, who exactly is this woman?” Leroy asked, still fiddling with his phone. “I feel like I’m missing something.” 

“She’s Emma’s lady love,” Ruby replied. “And she is smoking hot.” 

“Ruby!” she screeched. “Jesus, not so loud!” 

Leroy poked his head out of the kitchen to see. “Damn sister, you picked a mighty fine woman there.” 

“Hey thanks, I’m glad you guys approve.” Emma headed back to the table and handed Ms. Mills her water. 

“Thank you dear.” Ms. Mills accepted it with a smile. “How has your weekend been so far?” 

“Alright,” she replied, leaning against the opposite side of the booth. “I went shopping for Halloween costumes with my friend yesterday and I had a sleepover at her house. What about you?” 

“That sounds nice.” Her teacher took a drink. “I went to a pottery making class yesterday, and tonight I have a coffee date with a friend of mine from high school.” She eyed her curiously. “What are you dressing up as?” 

“It’s a surprise,” Emma answered, suddenly wanting to be a bit mysterious. “You’ll see it when I wear it to school on Halloween.” Then she had a thought. “Are you dressing up?”

“Well I’m sure it’s lovely, whatever it is. And yes, I am. Although you’ll never guess what.” 

She smiled. “I can’t wait to see your costume.” Then she stood up. “I better go see how the food is doing.” 

Heading into the kitchen, she couldn’t help the slight bounce in her step. Her and Ms. Mills were actually sitting together at a place that wasn’t school. It was almost like they were on a date! 

Once she got inside, she saw Ruby and Leroy working on the food. “Just in time,” Ruby commented, looking up at her. “We’re almost done.” 

“Boy, I sure hope she appreciates this,” Leroy said. “She took away from the time I could’ve been spending on working on my dating profile.” 

“You’re lucky that Granny’s not here,” Ruby said. “She would’ve confiscated your phone if she saw you using it on the job.” She added the last plate to the tray and handed it to her. “Here you go.” 

“Thanks guys,” Emma said, pleased with how well everything looked. She hoped Ms. Mills would enjoy it. 

She headed over to the table with the tray and Ms. Mills looked up. “Oh my goodness, thank you Emma!” she exclaimed. “All of this looks absolutely delicious.” 

Smiling, she placed all over the dishes in front of her and then sat down. “I hope you’re hungry,” she said. “Please, dig in.” 

Emma anxiously watched as Ms. Mills picked up her spoon and tried the soup first. She closed her eyes and hummed in delight. “This is quite tasty. I love how creamy and smooth the texture is.” 

“I can never get the texture quite right. Only Granny and Ruby are the ones who can,” she said. “I guess I need to work on that.” 

Ms. Mills smiled and took a bite of the macaroni and cheese next. “Oh this is really good, Emma. It reminds me of the macaroni and cheese my family’s cook used to make us sometimes. She always put in something secret into the recipe, but she would never tell anyone what it was.” 

“Granny does that too,” Emma said. “In fact, a lot of things on the menu have secret ingredients in them. I’m only starting to learn what some of them are.” 

Picking up the sandwich, Ms. Mills took a bite and swallowed. “I really love this,” she said. “It’s the perfect amount of cheese and butter.” 

“I think yours is really good too,” Emma said shyly. “I’ve been craving one of yours for weeks.” 

“Is that so?” Ms. Mills laughed, and continued to eat from each of the dishes. “I’ll have to make one for you again soon then.” 

They kept talking and Emma had only gotten up once to get her teacher a cup of tea and some more napkins. She was really glad that she had come to the diner, and hoped that she would come again. Next time, she wanted to be the one who cooked for her. 

Ms. Mills had just finished the last bit of apple pie, which she had declared delicious too. “Well, that was all very good!” she said, wiping her mouth with her napkin. “I was very impressed with everything.” 

“I’m glad,” Emma replied, handing her the bill. “I really hope you come again.” 

“Oh I know I will be,” Ms. Mills said, holding up her credit card. “This is such a wonderful place.” 

She got up to retrieve the credit card machine, and waited for Ms. Mills to pay. She extracted the receipt and placed it in front of her. Then she watched as Ms. Mills dug in her purse for something. “Here,” she said, handing her fifteen dollars. “For you.” 

“Really?” Emma looked surprised. She’d never been given this much for a tip. “Thank you!” 

“Thank you for keeping me company, and for recommending to me what I should try.” Ms. Mills stood up and reached out to squeeze her hand. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend, dear. See you on Monday.” 

As she watched the woman walk out of the diner, Emma couldn’t keep herself from smiling. Nothing had ever been so perfect in her life until now, and she couldn’t believe how well things were turning out. 

*****

Halloween finally came, and Emma was glad to see that the weather was sunny and slightly warm out. It would be the perfect day for children to trick or treat. As she got dressed in her costume, she thought back to her days in foster care. There were some homes were she was actually given a costume, but others she had not been given anything and had to improvise. She smiled as she remembered how she had taken a white tablecloth and cut holes for the eyes and mouth; it had made a great ghost costume. But she had been spanked and had all her candy taken away when it was discovered how she had made her costume. It was kind of sad, but it was a funny memory all the same. 

Once she got to school, she headed into the bathroom and found that M was already there wearing her Snow White costume. “Hey!” she greeted, looking up from the mirror. “That looks really good on you.” 

“Thanks!” Emma said, coming to stand beside her. “Yours looks good too.” She took out her makeup and began to apply it, trying to make her eyes smoky and her lips bright. “Did you bring the crimper?” 

“Yes!” M took the hair tool out of her bag and plugged it in. “I also brought some hairspray too.” 

“Perfect,” she said. M finished doing her makeup and came closer so she could begin crimping her hair. 

As always when someone did her hair, she held her breath. There had been many times when her foster mothers had yanked the brush through her hair, trying to get the knots out. But of course as expected, M was gentle as she quickly brushed through her hair and then parted it into sections. “So, are you going trick or treating tonight?” 

“No, I’ve got work,” Emma said. “We hand out candy to any kids who come in though. And Granny always has a habit of buying too much so we split the rest amongst ourselves. What about you?” 

“Yeah totally! I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Then Emma heard her sigh. “The Evil Queen thinks I’m too old, but whatever.” 

“How are things going with her?” 

“Not bad. I hardly see her,” M said. “Usually she comes home from work late, and I rarely see her on the weekend. Which is good.” 

“Does she ever ask to spend time with you?” Emma asked. Sometimes she still felt bad for M’s stepmother, whoever she was. She still hadn’t met her, and she had a feeling that she probably wouldn’t, since she was always away from the house. 

“Yeah, usually like to go for a girls lunch or something like that.” M sighed. “I go like maybe two out of the ten times she asks. It’s really not fun. All she talks to me about is how I wear too much makeup and that I shouldn’t be having sex with guys the way I do.” 

“Does your dad mind? Like about that stuff?” 

“Nah. He says as long as I use protection it’s all good, but he actually wants me to find someone to settle down with soon. So I’m trying to focus on that. And he encourages me to wear makeup.” M giggled. “The last time he gave me money to buy it, I spent like $300 and my stepmother went nuts. It was so funny.” She finished doing the last of her hair and then sprayed a bunch of hairspray. “There! All done.” 

Emma looked at herself in the mirror, and smiled. M had done a really good job. She had finished doing her makeup as her hair was getting done, so she added the pirate hat on her head. “I love it, thanks so much.” 

“Anytime,” M said, starting to put her things away. “You really do look gorgeous, Emma.” 

“Thanks. And hey, you certainly look like the fairest of them all.” 

The two of them laughed as they packed up their bags and went off to their lockers. She could hardly wait until it was time for English.   
*****

Emma’s heart thudded in her chest as she walked towards her English class. This was it, this was the moment she had been waiting for since the day at the diner. Now Ms. Mills would see her in her costume, and she would get to see what she was dressed up as. Taking a deep breath, she entered the class. 

There were students inside already, all of them dressed up. She saw a witch, a mummy, a hot dog, three cats, and a ghost. They were all standing around someone, and once they went to take their seats, she saw who it was and she fought to keep her jaw from dropping. 

It was Ms. Mills, dressed in a big dark gown. She had her hair up in a bun and her makeup was dark as well. She had even painted her nails black. The best part though, was that the dress showed a whole lot of cleavage. In her hands was a basket of apples. Once she saw her, she smiled evilly and beckoned her closer. “An apple for the fairest of them all?” she crooned softly. 

Emma felt herself blushing, and came closer to accept one. “Thanks,” she whispered. “Um, who are you supposed to be?” 

“Why the Evil Queen of course,” Ms. Mills answered. “Remember? She’s obsessed with apples?” She held up the basket. 

“Oh yes, right.” Looking around to make sure no one was watching or listening, she leaned closer. “Is it okay if I stay after school like always?” 

“Of course dear,” her teacher whispered. “I have more treats for you.” 

Emma nodded, and felt her breath hitch in her throat. Her dress also had a considerable amount of cleavage too, and she had caught Ms. Mills eyes trail down to it a few times. She couldn’t help but shiver. 

They really didn’t do a lot in class that day, since everyone was excited to be doing something Halloween related after school. Ms. Mills passed out Halloween themed word searches for them to do as a treat, as well as a bag of lollipops. Emma had stuck hers in her binder for later as she didn’t want to mess up her lipstick right now. 

Finally, the bell rang and everyone hurried out of the class. When she was the last student there, she picked up the apple she had been given and strolled over to Ms. Mills desk. “So,” she said slyly. “Will this put me to sleep if I take a bite out of it?” 

Ms. Mills looked up at her and gestured for her to sit in the chair beside her. “No promises.” 

Emma gazed into her eyes for a moment, then shyly brought the apple up to her lips and took a bite. A burst of sweetness filled her mouth. “Wow, these are really good.” 

“They should be. They’re from my apple tree,” Ms. Mills replied. 

“You have an apple tree?” She seemed to learn more about her teacher each time she saw her. 

“I do. My father planted it about a year ago or so before I was born. Both the tree and I grew up together.” Ms. Mills suddenly looked sad. “When I married my husband, I tried to convince him to let me bring the tree with me, but he said no. So I moved it to a public space where other people plant their own gardens and what not.” 

“That’s horrible,” Emma said, feeling sad for her too. “Why would he not let you bring your tree?” 

“I don’t know dear. It’s like he never wanted me to be happy from the start.” Then Ms. Mills reached into her desk and pulled out a small bag of candies. Inside were all of her favourites: starbursts, skittles, milky way bars, gummy worms, and twizzlers. “Here,” she said, handing them to her. “Happy Halloween.” 

“Thanks,” she replied. “Oh man, these are all of my favourites!” She tilted her head and gazed at Ms. Mills. “How did you know?” 

“Maybe I have magic,” Ms. Mills said, raising her eyebrows. 

“Well, the Evil Queen is supposed to have magic, right? How else is she able to turn herself into that ugly old hag?” Emma said, finishing her apple. As she got up to throw the core away, she wondered if it would be rude to open the bag of candy right now and start eating. She decided it wouldn’t be and helped herself to a milky way bar. “Seriously though. Your costume looks really good. That must’ve cost a fortune.” 

“Actually it didn’t,” Ms. Mills said. “One of my friends owns a costume store, which lends its costumes to people that are in plays and musicals, and she let me borrow it.” She smiled and trailed her eyes over her and Emma shivered again. “You look beautiful in your costume, but I’ve been having a difficult time trying to tell what you are. Are you a ship’s scullery maid?” 

“No!” Emma giggled, stuffing the rest of the bar into her mouth and chewing. “I’m a pirate princess.” 

“Ah.” The brunette nodded. “I see.” 

They were quiet for a moment and suddenly she was aware of how close they were sitting together. She could practically hear Ms. Mills’ heart beating. She looked at her and was surprised to see her moving closer to her. Curiously, she gazed at her when suddenly an arm pulled her to her and lips met hers. 

Emma just about shrieked, she was so surprised. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Suddenly, every daydream and time spent at night wondering what those lips felt like had become very real and she never wanted it to end. She forgot where she was for a moment and began kissing back. She felt as if she was going to wake up from this dream any second now. 

Suddenly they heard the sound of something dropping and they sprang apart, startled. Looking down, she saw it was her bag of candy that she had placed in her lap and she picked it up. Suddenly, all her thoughts came racing into her head. 

I just kissed Ms. Mills. 

We kissed. 

Now she knows I have a huge crush on her. 

At that last one, she bolted up and gasped. No, this couldn’t be happening. What would happen now? 

Standing up, she hurried over to her desk and collected her stuff. By now, Ms. Mills had stood up too. 

“Emma! Wait, please don’t go! Let me explain!” 

But Emma didn’t want to hear anything. She raced out of the classroom, needing to get out of there before her lungs burst.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

The next morning, Emma begged Granny to let her stay home from school, saying that she had a bad headache. Which was true, as she hadn’t gotten any sleep, and had spent the time replaying the time before the kiss happened in her head, and going through the entire time their lips were locked. Who had kissed whom first? What if Ms. Mills thought that what had happened was a mistake? 

She finally fell asleep and slept for the next few hours, until the feeling of someone sitting down on her bed woke her up around two. 

“Okay Em, what’s going on?” It was Ruby, who was looking down at her with a concerned look. “Ever since you’ve met Ms. Mills, you’ve pretty much fought to go to school everyday, even when it was an in service day! What’s wrong? This isn’t like you.” 

She covered her face with her hands, not wanting to admit to what happened but knowing that her friend would be able to help her. “Ms. Mills and I kissed yesterday.” 

“WHAT?” Ruby widened her eyes. “Holy shit, that’s awesome!” 

“I don’t know if it is,” Emma said, looking worried. “I mean, now this isn’t some dream of mine that only I knew about. Now she knows that I like her, and what if she thinks the kiss was a mistake?” 

“Oh my god,” Ruby said, giving her a kick. “Why would you think it was a mistake?!?!? A kiss is a kiss, I seriously think that you are overthinking all of this. She likes you.” 

“I don’t even know if I can ever face her again,” Emma moaned into her pillow. “I’m so scared.” 

“But if you don’t, then how will you ever know how she feels?” Ruby reminded her. “She could be just as madly in love with you as you are.” 

Sighing, she looked up. Ruby was right. “You’re right,” she said. “I’m just nervous.” 

“Don’t let that stop you. If Juliet was too nervous to sneak out and see Romeo, there wouldn’t be a love story between them, right?” 

“Right.” Pursing her lips, she nodded. “Okay okay, I’ll talk to her. Tomorrow.” 

“Good.” Ruby pulled her up. “Now come help me serve tables.” 

*****

Emma got to school super early the next day, giving her lots of time before she had to meet M in the bathroom. She wanted to talk to Ms. Mills before classes started. She didn’t think she could wait until after school. 

She was just heading to her locker to hang up her jacket when she saw Ms. Mills standing there. “Ms. Mills?” 

The woman turned and as soon as she saw her, a smile lit up her face. “Emma! Oh I’m really glad to see you.” 

Emma decided to cut right to the chase. “Look, if you think what happened the other day was a mistake, you don’t need to tell me. I’ll stop coming after school-”

“Emma wait.” 

She stopped, looking at Ms. Mills. She was still smiling. “Will you come into my classroom to talk?” 

Nodding, she quickly slipped off her jacket and opened her locker to put it inside. Then she followed Ms. Mills into her class. 

Once the door was closed, Ms. Mills folded her arms. “It wasn’t a mistake, dear. I really did want to kiss you.” 

Emma couldn’t believe her ears. Her mouth dropped open. “W-what?” 

Ms. Mills smiled. “I’ve noticed you since the first day when you walked into my class. I just knew that I had to get to know you. I felt so drawn to you.” She fiddled with the bracelet on her arm. “I like you, Emma. And I really want to get to know you better.” 

She started to smile too. “I really like you too. And I’d love to get to know you better as well. But, what about your husband?” 

“There hasn’t been love between us for a very long time dear, and I’m not sure there ever was. We may be married in name, but there is absolutely nothing between us.” She opened her arms and Emma came into them, liking the feeling of simply being held. “I know he’s been seeing other women for quite some time. So it doesn’t really matter about him at all.” 

Emma wrapped her arms around her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “That is awful.” 

“It doesn’t bother me like it used to,” Ms. Mills reassured her. “So, what do you say? Shall we see where this goes?” 

“I’d love to, but... what if we get caught?” She didn’t want her or Ms. Mills to get into any trouble. 

“We’ll be very careful, Emma. I promise.” Then she studied her for a moment. “You are at least eighteen, right?” 

“Actually, I’m nineteen. I dropped out of school for a bit and had to repeat a grade. But that wouldn’t have stopped me.” She paused for a moment. “May I ask how you old you are?”

“I’m thirty-five.” 

Emma nodded. “That’s not too bad.” 

Ms. Mills smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead. “When we’re in class, you’ll still have to call me by my last name. But when it’s just us, I’d like you to call me by my first name. If you’re alright with that.” 

Emma nodded. “Of course. What is it?” 

“Regina.” 

“Regina,” she repeated, smiling. “Regina Mills.” 

*****

Since she and Regina started their relationship, she hadn’t felt this good in a long time. She had someone who liked her and wanted to be with her, and she also had someone whom she could love as well. During school hours, it felt like torture having to watch her be at the front of the classroom and knowing that she wasn’t able to kiss her or hug her. But once the final bell rang and everyone left, the door would close and they would pull each other close and begin kissing. There were a few times when things really started to heat up on the floor, but it never resulted in sex. She was still a virgin, and wanted her first moment with Regina to be special. And besides, it wasn’t so risky to be kissing behind closed doors. But to have sex on the school grounds? Now that was a whole other thing. But both of them seemed content to refrain from anything too sexual. 

Luckily, they were able to pull away from each other so Emma could get her homework done and Regina could do her marking. They sat together at the desk at the front, first having something to eat, then they would work side by side together. 

Sometimes though, when she had no homework and Regina didn’t have any marking to do, they would just sit together and talk. Emma learned that Regina had wanted to go to cooking school after she graduated, that she still had a horse at her mother’s house from when she was younger, that she had an older sister who was a nurse, and that she was afraid of heights. And Regina found out that Emma had been in over fifteen foster homes, that she knew how to protect herself after taking self defence classes, that she had once swallowed a penny, and that she wanted to learn to speak German and French. 

When Emma found out about the cooking school, she pressed Regina about why she hadn’t gone. 

“My mother didn’t think it was a suitable career for a woman,” she said. “So I became a teacher instead.” 

“Do you ever wish you could go back and attend cooking school?” Emma inquired. 

Regina thought for a moment. “Maybe, although I really do love teaching. And besides,” she smiled. “I would never have met you.” 

M had also seemed to find romance. It happened on Halloween when her father’s friend had had a party and he had brought her along. The friend happened to have a son named David, and the two had instantly hit it off. 

“He was dressed as Prince Charming,” M said dreamily, as the two of them sat on her floor in her bedroom. She was having M over for a sleepover. “As soon as he saw me in my Snow White costume, he came over and asked if I wanted to dance.” 

“Wow,” Emma said, taking a handful of popcorn from the bowl in between them. “What’s he like?” 

“Well he’s really cute, but other than that, he’s really athletic and is super smart too. He said he wants to be a psychologist.” M pulled out her phone. “Here’s a picture of him.” 

She took a look. “Whoa, he’s really cute.” 

“I know.” M hugged her phone to her chest. “He makes me want to not sleep around anymore. Like, I could actually see myself settling down with him one day.” 

“That’s great,” Emma replied. “Maybe he could be your escort for your coming out ball.” 

“I’m going to ask him for sure. It’s too soon to right now.” M scooted closer to her. “Can I braid your hair?” 

“Sure,” she said. She turned over so her friend could reach her better. “Has your dad met David yet?” 

“Yeah. I had him over for dinner the other night and he really likes him. But he hasn’t met Gina yet. She’d probably scare him off.” 

“Right,” Emma said. “So, have you gone shopping yet for your coming out dress?” 

“No, not yet.” M ate some popcorn. “Gina wants to take me, but I don’t want her to come. We’d just disagree on dress styles the whole time.” She looked up at her. “Will you come with me?” 

“Sure!” she agreed. “Maybe we could go over Christmas break or something. I wonder what kind of dress I should wear.” 

“Hmm.” M studied her a for a moment. Then she brightened. “I think a light pink or peach would look really good on you. Or even a cream.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. “Maybe you and Ruby could come help me find one.” 

“Yeah that’d be awesome,” M replied. “Does Ruby work anywhere else other than the diner?” 

“Not at the moment. She’s working on her masters in zoology, and once she graduates she wants to work at the zoo. She loves wolves, so I would think she would want to work with them.” Emma smiled. “Wanna know something?” 

“Sure!” 

“She has a pet wolf. I mean, not officially, but every night she’ll go into the woods behind the diner and there’s always this one wolf that comes out to meet her. It’s really cool. And she feeds it too.” 

“Whoa! That does sound really cool.” M’s eyes lit up. “Do you think she would show us? Or have us come along?” 

“I think she would. Let’s go ask her. But keep it down, Granny doesn’t know about it and she’d have a fit.” 

They finished the popcorn and then went and knocked on Ruby’s door. “Come in!” they heard her say. 

Emma opened the door and snuck her head in. “M wants to know if we can come tonight to see your friend.” 

“Yeah sure, the more the merrier.” Ruby got up and pulled on her jacket and hat. “Come on, Granny went to bed early tonight so we won’t have any trouble getting out.” 

Emma and M followed Ruby outside and into the woods. When they’d walked for about fifteen minutes or so, Ruby pulled out a bag of chicken from her pocket. She whistled and moments later, a wolf came trotting into the clearing. 

“Oh my gosh,” M breathed, watching as the wolf began to eat the chicken that Ruby held out. “This is so cool.” 

Reaching out a hand, Ruby ran her fingers through its grey fur. “Her name is Ember,” she said. “I really wanna spend the night out here with her, but I don’t know how I would explain my absence to Granny.” 

“Why don’t you just say you’re at Peter’s?” Emma suggested. Peter was Ruby’s boyfriend of five years, and Emma was hopeful that they would get married one day. They were a cute couple.

“That’s really risky, since it’s only a few minutes away from the house.” Ruby sighed. “I guess I could take my chances though.” 

As the three of them watched Ember finish eating the chicken, a sudden flash flew across the sky. 

“Oh my god! Was that a shooting star?!” M asked. 

“Yup. Cool huh?” Ruby answered. “They’re really easy to see here.” 

Closing her eyes, Emma made a wish to herself. She wished that things would continue to go well for her and Regina.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 

During the past week or so, Emma had noticed that something was off with M. She definitely was not herself. In the morning before classes started, she seemed to be applying much more makeup, which was crazy since she wore so much. Now in addition to all the other products she used, she was now filling and shaping her brows, curling her eyelashes before putting on mascara, adding highlighter to her face, and wearing red lipstick—before she had only used pink. 

It was starting to get a little bit much, and finally Emma decided to say something to her friend. “What’s all that for?” she asked, trying to make light of the situation, since she knew M was sensitive when it came to makeup. 

She noticed that something dark crossed her face, but before she could think about it, the shadow was gone. “Oh, it’s just some new things I’m thinking of adding to my routine. It’s no big deal.” 

Her tone of voice was dismissive, and Emma had the feeling that she wanted to talk about something else, but she pushed further. “It is a big deal, M. You’re already so pretty without all that stuff on your face. You don’t even need concealer!” And she really didn’t. Since they’d met, not once had Emma seen so much as a blemish or a zit on her face. Her skin was flawless. 

“But I do, Emma. I know you don’t see them, but I really do have flaws I need to cover up. Daddy says that a man doesn’t need to see all that in his wife.” 

That was another thing. It seemed that the more she heard about Leopold, the more she was starting to dislike him. He constantly belittled M without her realizing, and he was definitely sleeping with some young girl that he constantly had over. Emma had caught a glimpse of her when she had gone to the bathroom once, and was startled to see that the girl looked only to be a few years older than her. 

She decided to change the subject, since she did not have a reply to that statement that didn’t involve saying something bad about her father. “So, what do you have planned for Christmas break?” It was coming up in a few weeks, and she was excited for it. These past few months had been filled with so much studying, homework and projects, that she needed a serious break. Her hard work was paying off though; report cards had been given out last week and she was happy to see that she had received A’s in all her classes. The only thing that she wasn’t looking forward to about the break was that she wouldn’t be able to see Regina everyday. She had come by the diner a few more times to eat, but that was about it. She knew she would have to see her sometime over the break though, as she had planned to get her a gift for Christmas. 

“Actually, I’m not doing much. Daddy is supposed to be going to Mexico, my stepmother is doing something on her own... I think she has family that she visits or something. And I was gonna go to Mexico with him, but I can’t because...” M trailed off, looking down at her hands. “I’m getting a boob job.” 

“WHAT?” Emma just about dropped her mascara. “Why?” 

“Because I want my breasts bigger, and I’ve been on this diet to try to get all the fat I eat to go up there, but it’s not working.” M went back to her makeup. “Daddy’s paying for it, it’s part of his Christmas gift to me. So that’s why I can’t go to Mexico.” 

She didn’t say anything for a moment. Makeup was one thing, but a boob job was on a whole other level. She would never get plastic surgery done, and honestly, she was a little grossed out about the whole thing. But she tried to be supportive for her friend. “Will it hurt?” 

“I don’t know. I mean, I’ll be asleep for the procedure. According to what I’ve heard, you’re supposed to be a little sore for a few weeks, but that’s about it.” 

“Wow.” Then Emma had an idea. “Maybe you could come to my place for Christmas dinner then. We’re closed on Christmas Day, and Granny always makes too much food.” 

“I’d love to, Emma. Thank you for the invitation.” She checked the time and jumped. “Oh! I gotta go. I need to FaceTime David before class starts. I’ll see you at lunch?” 

She nodded and M raced out of the bathroom. Sighing, she finished doing her face and packed up her things. She wondered if she could try and talk her out of getting the procedure done. 

*****

Emma and M flipped through racks of dresses at the store, trying to find the perfect one for M to wear at her coming out ball. “Oh my god,” M sighed. “This is so hard. There’s just so many.” 

Emma held up one that had long lace sleeves. It looked more like a wedding dress to her, but it was still pretty. “What about this?” 

M glanced over her shoulder. “Ooh! That’s gorgeous.” She took it from her and added it to the growing pile in her arms. So far, she had about eight. 

“There’s also another rack over there, although I think-”

“Emma? Is that you?” 

Turning around, Emma saw the last person she wanted to see. Lily Page had been one of her friends at her old school, and had introduced her to the ways of trouble and rebelliousness. “Hi Lily.” 

Lily crossed her arms and gave her the once over. Nothing much had changed, except she had a few more piercings and tattoos. “I thought that was you.” 

She glanced at M, who smiled at both of them. “I think I’ll go try these on now. Meet me by the dressing rooms?” 

She nodded, thankful that she wouldn’t have to introduce the two of them to each other. “What are you doing here?” she asked Lily.

“My mom dragged me here to find a dress for my aunt’s wedding. Everything in here is sooo lame,” she said, rolling her eyes. “So, who’s the pretty princess?” 

“One of my new friends from the school I go to now.” 

“Oh?” Dark eyes lit up in interest. “Where’s that?” 

Emma didn’t want to say the name, because she didn’t want her or any of those other kids to try and find her there. “It’s in the east part of the city.” Luckily, there were several high schools in that area. 

“I don’t even know why you bothered going back,” Lily said. “I mean, you could’ve stayed with the squad and sold drugs to make a living or something.” 

“I didn’t want to do that. I want better for myself, Lily. I want a real job.” 

“Oh?” Lily came closer to her, and for a moment Emma began to get nervous. “Are you saying you’re better than me?” 

“What? No, of course not.” She tried to backtrack, not wanting to part on bad terms. “It’s just a dangerous lifestyle to have, that’s all. I just decided that’s not for me.” 

Lily smirked. “You think an education is gonna help you, Emma? Face it, you’re not gonna get anywhere in life. You’re trash.” 

Snapping her gum, she walked away. Emma shivered. She didn’t believe anything Lily had said for one moment, but it didn’t mean that the words had hurt any less. She tried to brush it off as she went to go find M. If there was one thing she wished, it was that she hadn’t gotten involved with Lily and her friends. But she couldn’t go back and change the past, she could only move forward. She reminded herself that she wasn’t like that anymore, and that she would make herself proud one day. 

*****

The next day after school, Regina stroked her hair as she told her about her run in with Lily. “I can’t believe I ever got involved with her. I was so stupid.” 

“Don’t say that, dear.” Regina looked into her eyes. “Sometimes we don’t always make the best choices in life, especially as teenagers. But it’s a part of life and how we grow.” 

Emma sighed. “Yeah. I used to blame her for how awful my life was when I was in rehab, but I realized it was all on me. So when I finished, I made the choice to make a change. I wanted better for myself and wanted to change.” 

“And I am so proud of how far you’ve come,” Regina said. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but you worked hard.” 

“Thanks.” She opened one of the desk drawers where a stash of candy was hidden, and pulled out a package of skittles. She began to pop them into her mouth. “What was the worst thing you ever did as a teenager?” 

Regina thought for a moment. “Once, my sister and I threw this huge party when we were in high school. We invited like a hundred people when our parents were out, and the place got so trashed it wasn’t even funny. Someone decided to bring a bunch of spray paint, and people thought it would be fun to spray it all over the house.”

“Uh oh,” Emma widened her eyes, enjoying the feeling of fingers massaging her temples. 

“Uh oh was right. Not only did they spray paint the bath tub and walls, they sprayed the piano, paintings that hung on the wall, our fridge, and our couch.” 

“Oh my god. Your parents must’ve been pissed.” 

Regina smiled. “I don’t know whether they were more pissed about the paint or the fact that across the living room wall, someone wrote ‘REGINA GIVES GOOD ORAL’ and ‘ZELENA WILL MAKE YOU ORGASM UNTIL YOU PASS OUT.’”

Emma burst out laughing. “Holy fuck. That’s so funny.” Then she gave the brunette a look. “Is it true though?” 

“Is what true?” 

“Do you give good oral?” She raised her eyebrows. 

“I guess you’ll have to find out.” Regina pulled her close and they began kissing. 

They were apparently so into the kiss that they sprang apart once they heard a knock on the door and the sound of it opening. It was one of the other english teachers. 

“Ms. Mills? I wanted to talk to you about the final exam for next year.” She glanced at Emma. “Am I interrupting something?” 

“No,” Regina said, quickly patting her back. “One of my students just found out that her grandfather passed away, and I was just giving her a hug. Can you come find me tomorrow in the lunch room and we can discuss the exam?” 

“Of course.” The teacher nodded and looked at her before leaving. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” 

“Thanks,” Emma said, trying to look sad. The moment the door was closed, she turned to her. “Oh my god, that was so close.” 

Regina looked uncomfortable. “Emma, maybe we shouldn’t be doing this.” 

“What?” She immediately felt haunted by the tone of her voice. “What do you mean? We just need to be more careful.” 

“I don’t know. What if we got caught and something happens?” She shook her head, looking sad. “I think you should go, Emma.” 

“I don’t want to go, I want you!” Emma cried. “Please, we can do this. I know we can.” 

“Please Emma, just go.” 

She felt a flash of anger hit her. “You can’t just fucking let me pour my heart out to you and then tell me to go! A relationship doesn’t work like that.” She gathered her things up and stood to go. “I guess you wouldn’t know, since your husband is probably banging someone this very moment.” 

She ran out of the room, not able to stop the tears from falling down her face.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

Emma hardly got any sleep that night. However, instead of pulling the covers over her face when her alarm went off, she sprang out of bed. This time, she wanted to go to school. She would make Regina want her, and then it would be her turn to refuse her. 

She went to go make herself a giant cup of coffee, then she stood in front of her closet, hands on her hips. She wanted to wear something sexy, something that Regina wouldn’t be able to keep her eyes off of. 

Finally she found it. A pair of black leather pants that happened to be from a Halloween costume from a few years ago, and a red blouse that showed an eyeful of cleavage without even bending down. A smug smile appeared on her face. Perfect. 

In the bathroom before school, she borrowed M’s red lipstick, needing to for a bit of a bolder look today. Regina needed to know what she would be missing. 

When it was time for English, she waited until the last minute to go in, so that Regina would be at the front of the classroom. Sure enough, she was standing there and when she saw her, her mouth almost dropped open. 

Emma bit her lip to keep from smiling. Right when she got to her desk, she placed her binder down and “accidentally” dropped her pencil onto the chair. Looking up at the brunette, she made sure she was watching as she bent down and retrieved it, giving her a real show. She swung her hips around too for good measure, feeling smug when Regina looked as if she was having trouble breathing. Then she sat down, eyes on her and stretched like a cat, making sure that she lay back a bit in order to tease her. 

For the rest of class when they were split into groups to work on a project, she made sure that she flirted with every single person she could in the group. She smiled shyly at a few of the girls as they traded ideas back and forth and even reached out to touch one of their hand’s gently, and didn’t say anything when two of the guys spent most of the time staring at her chest. She could feel Regina’s eyes on her the entire time. 

When class ended, Emma picked up her things and was ready to leave with everyone else when Regina called her name. She bit her lip. She had every intention of walking out the door, wanting to hurt the brunette as much as she had hurt her yesterday. But the way she said her name made her go weak in the knees. 

She turned around, coming closer and placing her things on a desk nearby. Folding her arms, she stared at her, waiting. 

Regina came closer too, wringing her hands nervously. “What I said yesterday... um, I shouldn’t have said it.” 

“Yeah well it’s a little late now, isn’t it?” Emma bit back. 

“Emma, please... just let me finish.” She sighed. “I had no right to tell you to go, and I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to, but after what happened, it just kind of came out.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I was scared that something like that would happen again, and that we’d both get in trouble. And that I would lose you for good.” 

She felt herself softening a little. It sounded like she was genuinely sorry for what happened. “You wouldn’t lose me, Regina. We’d find a way to make it work.” Then she felt that she should apologize for what she’d said too. “I’m sorry for what I said too, you know, about that banging thing.” 

“It’s alright dear,” Regina said gently. “It was probably true.” She went to close the door and held out her arms. 

Emma went right into them and hugged her. It felt so good to be back in them. She felt herself being pushed against the door and then her face was taken and she was kissed. She smiled and began kissing back. “Oh god, I missed you.” 

“I missed you too,” Regina whispered. “You’re always beautiful to me, but there’s something about you today that makes you look extra gorgeous.” 

She pulled back briefly. “Maybe it’s the outfit? I wore it to make you jealous.” 

“Well it worked, dear. All those eyes on you, I wanted to drag you out of the classroom and take you into my arms out in the hallway.” 

She giggled. “I knew it! I knew you had a jealous side. It’s so hot.” 

“God Emma, I want you so bad. You have no idea how much.” She looked down at her. “Last night after tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep and dreamed that we had the best sex ever. You made me come over and over again.” 

“Is that so?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. “Well, how about we make that dream of yours come true then?” 

Regina was quiet for a moment, and she wondered if she had crossed the line too soon. Maybe she wasn’t ready yet. “If you think it’s too soon, that’s okay.” 

“No.” The brunette shook her head. “I’d love to. I’m just trying to figure out where we can go. My house is out, because of my husband and stepdaughter.” 

Emma pursed her lips, thinking. She didn’t feel right inviting her over to Granny and Ruby’s apartment either. “What about a hotel room or something?” she suggested. “You mentioned that you stay in one on the weekend right?” 

Regina’s eyes lit up. “That’s right! I never thought of that. But that’ll be perfect!” She smiled and kissed her again. “You can come in the afternoon and we’ll order room service, and you can spend the night.” 

“That sounds great,” she exclaimed. “When?” 

Regina thought for a moment. “This weekend. Saturday, if you’re free.” 

“As a matter of fact, I am.” Emma ran her fingers through her brown locks. “Wonderful.” 

They began kissing again and Emma felt herself trembling slightly. She could hardly wait for the weekend. 

*****

That night before bed, Emma was working on her journal assignment. It was about Regina, and what she hoped their weekend together would be like. She chewed on her pen, thinking of what else to write. 

Today, Regina asked me to spend the weekend with her. I said yes! I’m so excited. I really hope that it goes well and I do everything the right way. I wonder if she’ll know right away that I’m still a virgin... and will it hurt? M told me that it hurts like hell the first time you do it with a guy, but what about a woman? 

She finished writing and put her pen down. At the last second, she took a sticky note out of her pencil case and placed it on the page, tabbing it. She wanted to keep this for her eyes only, for now. Maybe one day she’d show Regina. 

Just as she was about to turn the lights off, her phone buzzed. It was a text from M. 

M: Can u please send me the notes tomorrow from psych?? I feel horrible.   
Emma: Yeah sure! Hope you feel better. 

Emma put her phone on her nightstand and climbed into bed. As she fell asleep, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to fall asleep next to Regina.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

Emma worked on icing a carrot cake, as Ruby manned the till and the tables. At that particular moment, the diner was mostly quiet. “Hey,” she asked. “When’s Leroy supposed to get here?” 

Ruby smiled mysteriously. “Actually, he’s off tonight. He happens to have a date tonight.” 

“Oh really?” She smiled. “That’s great. Who’s it with?” 

“I’ll give you three guesses, and if you get it right, I’ll let you leave early.” 

“Hmm,” she thought hard. “A middle-aged woman who likes to hike and works as a receptionist?” 

“Nope.” 

“A younger girl who’s a writer and collects rocks for a hobby?” 

Ruby shook her head. “One more guess.” 

Emma continued to think. Then she realized that someone else was missing from the diner. “Oh my god! It’s Granny, isn’t it?” 

“Yes!” Ruby laughed. “Can you believe it? She kept pestering him to go out with her so many times, that finally he said yes today.” 

“Wow.” Emma put down the knife and stretched her hand. “I hope they have a good time. What are they doing?” 

“Just dinner and a walk in the park afterwards,” Ruby answered. “I think it’ll go really well.” 

“Yeah.” She suddenly got quiet as she thought about her own night that would be happening tomorrow. “I’m so nervous for tomorrow.” 

“It’ll be fine,” Ruby said. She was quiet for a moment as a customer paid for their meal, then she turned back to her once they’d left. “You just gotta be yourself, Em.” 

“But what if I don’t know what to do?” Emma bit her lip. 

“You can always ask her if what you’re doing feels alright. Or sit back and let her take the lead. You guys will figure it out.” 

“God I hope so,” she said. She picked up the knife again and finished icing it. “Can I ask you something?” 

“Shoot.” 

“What was your first time like?” 

Ruby was quiet for a moment as she leaned against the counter. “Even though he was gentle, it did hurt a bit and we had to take a break. But overall, it felt kind of like time had stopped everywhere and it was just us right there and then.” 

“Wow,” she said, licking the icing off the knife. “You make it sound so simple.” 

“You’ll see,” Ruby smiled. “You’ll get it once you experience it.” 

*****

Emma rode up the elevator at the hotel that Regina was staying in. It was the kind of place that she wouldn’t be caught dead in: glass tile floors, doorman standing in the lobby, sofas and chairs made out of velvet. It was fancy to say the least. She couldn’t believe that Regina stayed at a place like this every weekend, but then she remembered that she had money. She could afford to do this, thanks to Leopold. 

She shifted her duffle bag to her other shoulder and walked down the hall looking for the right room number. Once she spotted it, she stood outside for a moment. This was it. Once she woke up tomorrow, she would no longer be a virgin. She knocked softly. 

The door opened a minute later and Regina stood there. “Hi dear,” she said gently, leaning over to kiss her. “Come on in.” 

Emma came in and was immediately entranced by the room. “Oh my god,” she said, looking around. There was a big queen sized bed in the middle, with a large living room and balcony that had a gorgeous view of the city. The bathroom had a large shower and there was even an adjoining room with a small pool and hot tub. “Wow. You must pay a fortune for this.” 

“It is a little pricey,” Regina said, looking around as if she were embarrassed by the luxurious ness. “However, it costs very little compared to the amount of money that he gives me each week.” 

“What do you buy?” Emma asked, curious.

“Not a lot. Sometimes I’ll shop for clothes or treat myself to a manicure and pedicure. Other times I’ll send stuff to my niece as a surprise. My sister says I spoil her rotten, but she’s only five. Plus I’m her only aunt. I also make it a point to donate some of it too.” 

She smiled, humbled by the fact that Regina hardly spent any money on herself. Placing her bag on the floor, she hopped up onto the bed and sighed. “This is really comfy.” 

Regina laid down beside her and cuddled up close. “So I thought that we could eat and then perhaps go for a swim. Then we could have dessert and go to bed. What do you think?” 

“That sounds great,” she replied. She was glad that she had remembered to bring her bathing suit. She’d also brought a change of clothes for tomorrow, her hair and makeup stuff, a bottle of perfume, and a lingerie dress that Ruby had picked out for her. It was red, Regina’s favourite colour, and she hoped that she would like it. 

Regina went to get the room service menu and they studied it for awhile until they chose what to get. They ended up ordering salad rolls as an appetizer, which Emma enjoyed more than she thought she would and a bowl of Tuscan pasta. Everything was delicious and she had found several things that she thought would’ve been good for dessert, but Regina had said that she already had dessert in the fridge. A surprise, she said.

They sat and talked for a while then they went to go swim in the pool. Their bodies came together several times and they kissed as the water flowed gently all around them. Then when Emma accidentally splashed Regina in the face, it turned into a competition to see who could splash the most water. 

Once they’d each taken turns showering and freshening up, Regina pulled out a plate of chocolate covered strawberries. 

She felt her mouth watering. “Regina...” She picked one up and took a bite. “These are delicious.” 

The brunette smiled and popped one into her mouth. “I’m glad. They are simply one of the things I could not live without.” 

“What else couldn’t you live without?” Emma inquired. “Like if you had to make a list.” 

Regina thought for a moment. “Books, grilled cheese sandwiches, and you.” 

She blushed, feeling happy that she had been included on that list. “For me it would have to be grilled cheese sandwiches, books, my baby blanket, and you.” 

“Baby blanket?” Regina raised her eyebrows.   
Emma took another strawberry. “When my parents abandoned me, they left me wrapped in a knitted blanket outside. It’s cream coloured and has my name stitched on the front. One day I’ll show you.” She chewed for a moment. “But like, it makes me wonder if my parents really did want to keep me, but couldn’t. I mean, if you didn’t want a baby... why wrap it up all nice and snug?” 

“That is true, dear.” Regina scooted closer to her and placed a hand on her leg. “Have you ever tried to find them? 

“Yeah, but so far I’ve come to a bunch of dead ends. There was nothing to identify them with, and nothing specific comes up when I google my name.” She looked up. “I get the feeling that something must’ve happened to them. They’re probably not even alive anymore.” 

She felt arms wrapping around her and her cheek being kissed. “They would be so proud of the young woman you’ve grown into, Emma. So so proud.” 

She laid her head back. “Thanks.” 

They began kissing, but this time it was more sensual. She could feel the heat pouring off of Regina’s skin and could taste chocolate on her lips. Suddenly she felt like she would die without her, and began breathing in the same air that she was breathing. She felt a tug at her shirt and pulled back so that Regina could remove her top. She stood up and removed her jeans, letting the silkiness of her lingerie dress kiss her legs. 

“Oh that is gorgeous on you,” Regina breathed. She took her own clothes off, revealing a black bra and panties. “Red is sexy on you, Emma.” 

In response, Emma walked over to the bed and sat down, propping her feet behind her and stretching. Regina watched for a few moments and then followed her. “Alright dear, enough teasing.” 

She laughed and felt herself being gently pushed down on the bed. Then Regina was on top of her and kissing all the way down her neck. But when her fingers trailed over to her thighs, she felt herself getting tense. 

It must’ve shown on her face because Regina immediately stopped and reached down to cup her face. “Emma,” she whispered. “You’re a virgin, aren’t you?” 

Emma nodded, feeling her face burning. She wondered if that was an instant turn off now, if she would be mad. She tried to look away but Regina had a firm grip on her face. “I’m sorry.” 

“What for?” Regina pressed a kiss to her lips. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. But it makes me even more determined to make this extra special for you.” 

“I love you so much,” she whispered. Then she had a thought. “Will it hurt?” 

“No,” Regina whispered back. “I’ll be gentle. I promise. But you tell me if you want to stop, okay?” 

She nodded and Regina went back to her thighs again, although this time, she was much slower. She felt herself relaxing at the change of pace and sighed. 

Hands moved higher up to her dress and eyes communicated whether it was alright to remove it. She nodded and lifted her body up so it was easier to slip off. Regina ran her fingers over her waist. 

She gasped suddenly and Regina stopped. “Are you alright? Do you want me stop?” 

“I’m fine,” she said, blushing. “It just... it tickled.” 

Regina’s eyes turned playful as she tickled over the area again. Emma squealed and tried to sit up. “Hey!” she cried, giggling. “That tickles.” 

“Of course it does, silly. You just told me that,” Regina teased. She stopped then and lowered her lips to begin kissing her there. 

That at least didn’t tickle. But when she felt teeth on her skin, she shrieked. “What was that?!”

“Just a little bite,” the brunette said, nibbling. “You taste good, by the way.” 

“I didn’t realize I had a taste,” Emma said. Then curious “What do I taste like, anyway?” 

Regina paused for a moment. “You taste like honey. And apple.” 

She giggled. “Good to know.” 

They laughed a little more and then things went back to being serious again. Regina slowly reached her hands up to cup her breasts, and Emma felt herself tensing again. But all was well when she moved down to her stomach again and then continued onwards to her panties. Eyebrows rose. 

“Remove them or leave on?” 

Emma swallowed. “Remove them.” She didn’t want to hold back anymore. 

She lifted her legs in order to make it easier for her, and then shivered a little when her thighs were stroked. But this time, she didn’t tense up. She forced herself to stay still and calm. 

Then it seemed as if a lifetime had passed when she was touched in that spot. Embarrassed, she realized she was already wet and looked up to see if Regina would say anything. Fortunately, she just smiled and kept going. 

Then she cried out and it was all over as Regina slipped inside her. She trembled and clutched her tightly to her chest, not wanting to let go.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 

The Monday after that weekend, Emma walked into school feeling like a whole new person. She felt really good about where her and Regina were at and she felt that that experience had brought them closer together. She could hardly wait until the next time they were that intimate. She knew that Ruby was planning to spend more weekends with Peter, and since Leroy and Granny’s date had gone so well, she knew that it was only a matter of time until things heated up between them. She planned on using that evening to cook for Regina once the diner closed, and then bringing her up to her bedroom since the apartment would be empty. 

Emma entered the bathroom, feeling like she was glowing from the inside out and saw M standing there. “Hey!” she said. “You feeling better?” 

But when her friend turned to her, Emma could see that she looked horrible. Dark bags were under her eyes, she didn’t have any makeup on, and she looked as if she’d spent the whole weekend crying. “Oh my god, I don’t know how to tell you this. But I have news.” 

“What’s going on?” She folded her arms and leaned against the counter, sensing that this was serious.

M looked down, unable to make eye contact with her. “I’m pregnant.” 

Emma’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Pregnant? A-are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I tested myself.” 

“Well maybe it was wrong! Sometimes those things give false results,” she said, willing to hold onto the hope that that was the case. 

But M shook her head. “I took three tests, Emma. I’m truly pregnant.” She splayed her hands over her stomach. “I’m gonna have a baby.” 

“Wow.” She didn’t know what to say. M looked absolutely terrified. “Does anyone know?” 

“Only David does, since he’s the father.” M looked at her. “And before you ask, I know he’s the father. There was a three week period between him and the last guy I slept with.” 

“What did he say?” Emma asked. 

“He’s happy. I mean a little bit surprised and shocked too, but not upset or anything. And he’s willing to support me with any decision I make.” 

“Hey that’s good,” she said. “Any idea what you wanna do yet?” 

“I absolutely won’t have an abortion, so that’s out,” M said determinedly. “I really don’t know if adoption is the right choice for me, but I just can’t imagined raising a child yet.” 

“Does your dad or Gina know?” 

“No. I’m not telling her because I barely even talk to her.” M looked up at her in fear. “My dad will kill me.” 

“Maybe things won’t be so bad,” Emma said, trying to sound supportive. “You gotta tell him soon though, before you start to show.” 

M was about to say something but then she covered her mouth with one hand and ran to the nearest toilet. Emma followed behind and held her hair back for her as she was violently sick. 

When she was finished, M went to the sink to rinse her mouth. “Oh my god,” she moaned. “I thought the vomiting was over.” 

Emma didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know a lot about being pregnant, but she had heard that morning sickness could last for months sometimes, but that didn’t seem appropriate to say right now. But she thought of something that did. “If you want, I could be there with you when you tell your dad.” 

Her friend looked up at her. “Would you, really?” 

She nodded. “Sure. For moral support.” 

“I’d really like that.” Then she sighed. “I shouldn’t have come to school today, but I wanted to tell you in person. I still feel like shit.” 

“Maybe you ought to go home then,” Emma said, looking at the time. “Come on. There’s still time before the first bell. I’ll drive you.” 

*****

A couple days later when M’s morning sickness had lessened, she invited Emma over to her place. She wanted her to be there when she told her father the news. 

Emma watched as M twisted her hands nervously. Leopold eyed both of them and smiled encouragingly. 

M bit her lip and looked up at him. “Daddy, I have something to tell you. Something big.” 

“What is it, princess?” he asked. 

“Umm...” M snuck a look at her. She nodded encouragingly and took her hand, squeezing it once. “Well, I’m pregnant.” 

Silence filled the room and Emma watched as Leopold’s face changed from surprise and shock to anger. “WHAT?” he roared. 

M began trembling. “Daddy please, don’t be-”

“HOW COULD YOU?!” he yelled. “How could that happen?! I thought you were using protection for christ sakes!” 

She couldn’t believe the reaction he was having. She was surprised that none of the servants had come to see what was going on. “Sir, with all due respect-”

But he ignored her. “Who’s the father, M?” 

“It’s David.” By now, M had begun to cry. “He already knows. And we were using condoms, I swear! But I guess it broke.” 

Leopold swore under his breath and Emma wondered if he was going to come closer and slap his daughter in the face. “Jesus M. I can’t believe this. Think of how this is going to affect your coming out ball and graduation. It’s going to ruin your life!” He ran his hand through his hair and looked at her firmly. “You’ll be putting the baby up for adoption, I hope?” 

M wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I don’t know. Daddy... David and I, w-we were thinking of maybe keeping it.” 

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” He got up and crossed his arms. “That is out of the question, young lady!” 

“Don’t tell me what I can or cannot do!” M shouted. “It’s my baby! You can’t make me do anything!” 

“Is that so? Well then, you’d better get out of this house then. And don’t come back until you’ve made the decision to give the baby away!” 

M stood up. “Oh trust me! I won’t come back. You’ll be sorry you’re throwing me out! My child will never know its own grandfather!” 

Leopold said nothing else. He just turned on his heel and stormed out. M walked out of the living room and hurried up the stairs, heading to her room. 

Emma hurried after her to make sure she was alright. She entered the room and watched as M packed as much of her stuff as she could into a big suitcase. “I hate him,” she said, still crying. “I fucking hate him.” 

Wanting to help, she took a purse that M used regularly and began filling it with socks and underwear. “He’s still in shock. Once he calms down, he’ll reach out to you and apologize.” 

“I doubt it,” M muttered, typing out a text on her phone. “He’s just so stubborn.” She looked up. “This isn’t how I was expecting things to go.” 

“I’ll bet.” Emma handed her the purse and then looked around the near empty room. “Do you want to stay with me? Granny won’t mind.” 

“That’s so sweet of you, Emma. But David said that I could stay with him and his mom if my father kicked me out.” 

“Oh that’s nice of them. Does his mom know about the pregnancy?” 

“Yeah, and she’s being really supportive about it. She’s taking me to the doctor’s in a few days so I can have a checkup.” M smiled. “Will you come with me when I get the ultrasound? I’d really love to have you there.” 

“Sure, I’d love to!” She smiled back. “Have you guy’s decided whether you want to know the sex yet?” 

“We haven’t decided yet. Luckily I still have time to make up my mind.” M closed her bedroom door and they walked down the stairs and outside. “I’m gonna wait out here for David to come get me.” 

“Okay.” Emma leaned forward to give her friend a hug. “I hope things get better soon. You let me know if you need anything, alright?” 

“Will do!” M said, waving. “See you in school!” 

*****

“You make that look so easy, dear.” 

“Maybe I’m just trying to impress you.” 

“Oh believe me, Emma. You never fail to impress me.” 

Emma smiled and continued frying the noodles in a wok. She had just closed Granny’s for the night and she was cooking dinner for her and Regina. The brunette sat on a stool in the kitchen watching her. “I hope this dish turns out good.” She was making pad thai. 

“Oh I’m sure it will,” Regina said. 

As she added the vegetables and sauce to her wok, she reflected again on how thankful she was that it was Christmas break. She was definitely looking forward to these next few weeks of freedom. Since she had invited M to her place for Christmas dinner before she moved out of her house (and who had also had to cancel her boob job because of the pregnancy), she had also extended the invitation to David and his mother Ruth, who was also planning on cooking a bunch of food. Granny had said that the more the merrier were welcome, and she was excited to have a big Christmas dinner. And on Boxing Day, Regina had invited her out to eat with her and her mother and sister’s family. She was excited for that as well, and couldn’t wait to meet her family. She still had to figure out what to get her as a gift. She was trying to decide between a personalized keychain or jewelry. 

“So what’s been happening in your life lately?” Regina asked her. “Besides you and I, of course.” 

She added seasoning and began frying everything together. “Well, one of my friends just found out she is pregnant.” 

“Oh!” Regina was quiet for a few seconds. “Is she happy about that?” 

Emma thought back to how M had talked about it for the past couple weeks. “I think she is. And the guy she is with is being super supportive about it. She’s terrified of getting fat though.” 

Regina laughed. “Many women are, but since she’s so young, she’ll be able to get her figure back easily. What do her parents say?” 

“Well, her mother isn’t alive anymore, but her father was pretty pissed. They’re not speaking to each other at the moment, but her boyfriend’s mother is helping her through things.” 

“That’s wonderful. It’s good that she has someone.” Then she looked a little sad. “You know, I had always hoped that my stepdaughter and I would become close and that she could come to me if she ever wanted to talk. But that never happened.” 

Regina hardly ever talked about her stepdaughter because she was hurt by how she treated her. Emma felt sorry for her, especially since Regina was so sweet. “Did you try to get close to her?” 

Regina nodded. “Of course. I would try doing little things first like making sure to buy her favourite breakfast cereals and snacks. When I caught her trying on some of my makeup products, I bought her some things that were appropriate for her to use and tried to teach her how to use them. But she kept pushing me away, saying I was trying to replace her mother.” She examined her nails. “I wasn’t though. I knew how special her mother had been, and that I would never be loved like she had been. At the very least, I hoped that we could be friends. She was the closest thing I ever had to having a daughter. But she became distant and now she hardly ever talks to me.” 

“Wow.” Emma turned off the stove and let the food sit in the wok for a moment. “That’s horrible.” 

Regina smiled a little. “You know, she also goes to the school I teach at.” 

“Really?” She was shocked. She didn’t know that. “What’s her name?” 

But Regina shook her head. “I don’t want to say. Anyway, the school is so big. You’ve probably never seen her around.” 

And she was glad that she hadn’t. Or she probably would’ve beat the shit out of her for how she treated Regina like crap. She focused on pouring the noodles into two bowls and garnished each one with peanuts. “Here we go,” she said, passing one to Regina. “Bon appetit.” 

She watched as the brunette tried one. “Mmmm,” she moaned in delight. “Delicious, Emma.” 

She tried a bite herself and swallowed. “Wow,” she said. “I can’t believe I mastered it. It is pretty good.” 

“You’re getting so good at cooking lately, dear. Perhaps you should consider going to cooking school.” 

“Only if you go too,” Emma said. “Maybe I could be a food writer. Or a restaurant reviewer.” 

“You could.” Regina continued eating. 

“Or maybe,” Emma continued. “We could open up our own restaurant. Wouldn’t that be cool?” 

“It would be something alright. We could call it ‘SwanMills Eatery’.” 

She giggled. “That doesn’t sound very exciting, you know.” 

“No it doesn’t. We’ll have to think of a more creative name.” Regina smiled and tilted her head. “I’m going to miss having you in my class.” 

“I’m gonna miss your class too,” Emma said sadly. “But I’ll still come and do my homework in your room after school.” Then she blinked innocently. “And maybe you could still make food for us to eat?” 

Laughing, Regina reached out and took her hand. “I think that can be arranged.” 

She got up then and went to sit in her lap. She fit perfectly and wrapped her arms around her and began kissing her. Then she remembered something. “Oh shoot. I forgot to make dessert for us!” 

But Regina took hold of her face and continued kissing her. “That’s alright, dear. All the sweets in the world wouldn’t be able to satisfy my craving for you.” 

Emma gasped and she felt the brunette gently bite her lip. “Hey! What are you doing?” 

“Tasting you.” She continued to nibble. 

She giggled and kissed her before pulling back. “Well before things can heat up, I need to clean up.” She tossed a dish towel at the brunette. “I’ll wash and you dry.” 

With the two of them working together, they got the dishes washed and the counters wiped in no time. She made sure the front door was locked, then led her up the stairs to the apartment. She unlocked the door and they stepped in. 

“My, what a cozy little place,” Regina said, looking around. “This is the kind of place anyone could feel at home at.”

She smiled and led her into her room. She flicked on the lights and closed the door behind them. “Here we go,” she said. “My room.” 

Emma watched as Regina looked around and she tried to see the room through her eyes. The walls were painted a light blue, and she had pictures up of herself along with some of her and Ruby and Granny. On her vanity was all of her makeup and hair products, along with a photo of herself as a baby. Regina bent down to look at it. “Oh Emma, look at you here. So cute.” 

She blushed as the brunette continued looking around. On her desk were some of her books and school things, along with her laptop and printer. Draped along her chair was her baby blanket and she watched as Regina picked it up. “This is lovely,” she said, turning the material over in her hands. She brought it to her nose. “It smells like you.” She put it down and sat down on the bed. Burying her face in her pillow, she sighed in delight. “I may have to sneak this out with me tomorrow. Just so I can have your scent with me whenever I want to smell you.” 

Laughing, Emma reached into her closet and took out one of her hoodies. “Here,” she said, tossing it at her. “Take this.” Then she bit her lip and raised her eyebrows. “Does that mean that I can get something of yours too?” 

Reaching for the scarf wrapped around her neck, Regina removed it and handed it to her. 

“Mmmm,” Emma said, wrapping it around herself. “Thanks Regina.” She sat down on the bed too and laid down beside her. “I love you so much, you know that right?” 

“I do.” Regina took her in her arms and kissed her. “I love you so much too. I can’t imagine my life without you.” 

“Me neither.” She kissed her back. 

They continued making out and eventually their clothes ended up on the floor and they came together multiple times throughout the night. In the morning as the sun was coming up, Emma watched the woman beside her sleeping and wanted nothing more than to be able to do this with her every day.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 

It was the evening that she was to have dinner with Regina and her family, and she was incredibly nervous. She wondered what they would be like and if they would like her. 

She had had a tough time figuring out what to wear. She wanted to look serious and put together, especially since they already knew that she had been Regina’s student. In the end, she had decided on a silver sweater with white pants, and the swan pendant Regina had given her for Christmas. On the back was engraved with the words ‘With Love, Regina’ and Emma had been embarrassed, since the gift was clearly expensive. She had felt that she hadn’t deserved it, but the brunette had convinced her otherwise. Emma had given her a photo collage she’d made with photos of the two of them, and a little swan keychain so that she would have something to remember her by always. 

She felt herself beginning to sweat as she entered the lobby of the restaurant. It was one of those buffets that had absolutely everything you could think of, but her stomach was in a million knots. Eating was the last thing on her mind. 

“Emma!” It was Regina, who had said she’d meet her there so she could walk her to their table. She leaned in to kiss her. “You look gorgeous.” 

“So do you,” she said, looking at the red blouse and black skirt Regina had on. “Man, I’m so nervous.” 

“Don’t be, dear. My family is so excited to meet you.” She took her arm. “Are you ready?” 

Emma nodded, clutching the wrapped gift of chocolates she’d brought to give to them. They walked into the restaurant and approached a table where two women and a little girl were seated. 

“Emma, this is my mother Cora, my sister Zelena, and my niece Robin. Guys, this is Emma.” Regina pulled out her chair for her and then sat down beside her. 

“Well aren’t you sexy,” Zelena, a pretty redhead said. She winked. “Now I see what Regina sees you in.” 

“Zelena, don’t scare the poor girl away. She’s our guest.” The other woman, Cora, reached out her hand and shook Emma’s. “It’s a pleasure to meet the famous Emma.” 

“It’s wonderful to meet all of you,” she answered shyly. “Thank you for letting me join you for dinner.” 

“The more the merrier,” Cora said warmly. 

Robin had looked shy when she had first come to the table, but she spotted the gift she’d set on the table. “Is that for me?” 

“Now now darling, that’s not anyway to behave is it?” Zelena chided. 

Emma laughed and passed the gift to the little girl. “You can open it if your mom says it’s okay. It’s for all of you to share and enjoy.” 

Immediately, Robin tore open the wrapping paper and lifted up the box of chocolates. “Mmmm, chocolate! Thank you, Emma!” Then she turned to her mother. “Mommy, can we open it now?” 

Regina laughed. “Maybe later, sweetheart. You don’t want spoil your appetite. And besides, I hear the dessert area has apple pie.” 

“Yummy!” Robin exclaimed. 

“Thanks a lot, Regina. Now I’ll never get her to eat some real food,” Zelena muttered under her breath. 

Everyone laughed then and they all went up to get their food. Cora chatted with her then about her studies and what she wanted to do after she graduated, and Zelena told her about the time Regina had tried to go up on the roof of their house to look for Santa and his reindeer. 

By the time she was seated with her first plate of food, Emma felt a lot better and more relaxed. Regina’s family was lovely and so far she liked what she saw. 

“So Regina dear, how is Leopold?” Cora asked, cutting her ham. 

She almost choked on her mashed potatoes. Leopold was the name of M’s father. Before panicking, she tried to remind herself that there were lots of men named Leopold in this world. 

“Fine. He went to Mexico for the holidays.” Regina took a sip of wine. “I think he took his new mistress with him.” 

“Well that’s not a surprise. That asshole can’t keep it in his pants for very long, can he?” Zelena was helping Robin cut up her food and she looked up. “How’s his tart of a daughter? Is she really going to keep the baby?” 

“Yes,” Regina answered. “She thinks that her and her boyfriend will be able to care for the child on their own with no trouble. I hope she’s right. It’s tough trying to make ends meet when you’re so young and have a baby.” 

Emma bit her lip to keep from screaming. Okay, there was no way this was a coincidence. Surely there couldn’t be more than one Leopold out there who had a pregnant daughter and had went to Mexico for Christmas? 

“Is Mary Margaret kidding herself?” Zelena asked with a laugh. “They are going to suffer. I’ll be surprised if the two of them hold off on separating within the next two years.” 

Suddenly, she put down her fork. “Excuse me.” 

She got up and bolted from the table. Rushing to the bathroom, she leaned against the sink, breathing heavily. 

Holy fuck, she thought. Regina is M’s stepmother. And M is Regina’s stepdaughter. She shook her head, feeling confused. But that was impossible! Regina was the most wonderful person she had ever met... And M had described her as cruel and mean. And what Regina had said about her stepdaughter didn’t make any sense either. M was one of the best friends she had ever had in her whole life. Obviously something didn’t add up here. 

How on earth had the three of them gotten mixed up here? she wondered. Out of all the teachers and students in the school, she happened to be dating one that was related to her best friend. 

*****

Ever since Emma had found out the truth about M and Regina, she had kept to herself for some time. She answered texts from both of them, but she wasn’t really in the mood to talk to anyone. She was glad that she was still on winter break for now, as she didn’t think she could face either of them at the moment. 

She knew that sooner or later she would have to talk to them about it. She chose to start with Regina, since M was busy getting ready for the baby. It was only the first week of January, but already she was starting to show. Her and David had opted to find out the sex of the baby, and they could hardly wait until it was time for the ultrasound. 

A few days before school, she and Regina met for coffee. She took a deep breath as she stirred in sugar and cream. 

“What’s wrong?” Regina asked, covering her hand with her own and looking concerned. “You’ve been acting strange since the dinner with my family. Did one of them say something to upset you?” 

She shook her head. “No, your family was great. It’s something that they were talking about though.” She bit her lip, not liking this at all. “The thing is, I know your stepdaughter. I know Mary Margaret.” 

Regina looked surprised. “What?! Really?” 

“Yeah.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I call her M though, since that’s what she asked me to do. I know about her father Leopold going to Mexico, and I know about her pregnancy. She’s the friend of mine that’s pregnant.” 

Taking a sip of tea, Regina shook her head in disbelief. “Oh my god, Emma. I can’t believe this. This is crazy.” Then she looked panicked. “She’s probably said something horrible things about me!” 

“She has, but I didn’t really know what to think. I kept wanting to meet you so I could see for myself what you were really like. But here we’ve known each other all along and you’re the sweetest person!” She squeezed her hand. “I don’t believe any of that stuff about you for a minute.” 

“Thank you, dear. I guess I should explain how I came into the picture.” She cleared her throat. “Leopold and I met at a Christmas party given by a mutual friend. I remember how dashing and wonderful he seemed, like he could convince a person to do whatever he wanted. He was so charismatic.” She smiled faintly at the memory. “Once he came and started talking to me, I was so entranced by him. We went on a few dates before he introduced me to Mary Margaret. She was about thirteen then, and she was as spoiled as ever. She didn’t like the fact that her dad had fallen in love with someone other than her mom.” 

Emma listened, trying to keep an open mind about all this. “Then what happened?” 

“Well, I tried several times to bond with her but she just wasn’t interested. She thought I was trying to take the place of her mother, but of course that wasn’t true. I tried to honour Eva’s birthday and the day she died, even after we were married, and while Leopold appreciated it, Snow thought I was forever trying to rub it in that she was gone.” 

“Wow,” she commented. “It must have been so tough.” 

“It was.” Regina sighed. “I don’t hate Snow, although I’m sure she thinks I do. I just wish her father wouldn’t spoil her as much as he does, so she can learn to make her own way in life one day. He’s given her everything she’s ever wanted since I’ve met her and it isn’t healthy. And he’s filling her head with all these ideas, about how she needs to wear makeup to feel pretty and about how she needs a man to support her and how she shouldn’t be a lawyer.” 

“Yeah I know, I hate when he says that stuff. It’s so messed up. But he’s not giving her anything now. He wants her to give the baby up and she refuses so he made her move out.” 

“I know, I heard. When one of the servants mentioned it to me, I was so happy. Finally he had stood up to her.” She shook her head. “But it shouldn’t have been on those circumstances. If it were me, I would’ve given her all the support and love she needed. Having a baby is a big thing.”

“Maybe you should try telling her that,” Emma suggested gently. “It might help.” 

“Oh I don’t know,” Regina said worriedly. “She’s already going to be so upset when she finds out about you and I.” 

“I know. But maybe this’ll help soften the blow? It’s worth a try.” 

“Maybe.” Regina looked like she was thinking hard. 

She sighed and finished the rest of her coffee. She had no idea how they were going to solve this mess, but she knew eventually that M needed to be told.   
*****

After the diner had closed for the night, Emma, Ruby, and Leroy would sometimes sit and just talk over a plate of nachos or drinks. It was a nice way to unwind after a long work day and catch up on each others’ lives. During this particular one, they were talking about how Peter had recently proposed to Ruby. 

“I had no idea,” Ruby exclaimed, gushing over her new ring. “I was so shocked when he took me to the beach and asked me. It was the best day of my life. And you know what else?” 

“Huh?” Leroy took a bite of his taco. 

“He says that he wants to transfer Ember to the wooded area by his house, so that she can be with me when I move into his place!” Ruby looked happy and Emma was happy for her friend. 

“That’s great, I’m so happy for you guys.” Then she turned to Leroy. “So, you and Granny huh?” 

To Emma’s surprise, he blushed. “Yeah well, I never thought I’d be this happy with the old bag. She’s a pain in my ass, but it’s like she’s my pain. You know?” 

“I never thought I’d see the day where you and my grandmother would be happy together,” Ruby commented. “Honestly, it’s so cool that you guys are going out.” 

“We actually have a lot in common,” he said. “We both like tacos, drinking, playing pool, and the Star Wars movies.” 

“Cool.” Ruby turned to her then. “So how’s things going with Regina, Em?” 

She hadn’t told anyone about how she had found out that Regina and M were related, so she filled them in on the story. 

“Damn sister,” Leroy said when she finished. “That sounds complicated.” 

“M might be a little freaked out at first,” Ruby said. “But honestly, at the end of the day... if you and Regina are happy together, does her opinion really matter?” 

“It shouldn’t,” she agreed. “But how can I be Regina’s girlfriend and M’s best friend at the same time? They don’t even talk to each other.”

Leroy looked thoughtful. “Maybe you have to be the common link between the two of them,” he said. “You gotta help them see past all the stuff that happened before and focus on the here and now.” 

“But for starters, you need to tell M the truth,” Ruby said. “Even though what she says shouldn’t affect your relationship, she does have a right to know since Regina’s her stepmom.” 

Emma sighed. “I know. And I will tell her. After she has the ultrasound. I don’t want to ruin that moment for her.”


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 

Emma sat beside the examination table in the hospital, along with David and his mother Ruth. They were waiting for M to get her ultrasound done. 

“So, any guesses on what it’s gonna be?” M asked playfully. 

“I say a boy,” David said. “I’m feeling pretty good about having a Luke or a Ben around.” 

“I’ll be happy with either,” Ruth said. “I’m so excited to meet my first grandchild!” 

M turned to her. “What do you think, Emma?” 

She thought for a moment. She knew M really wanted a girl, so that she could dress her up in cute outfits. “I think it’ll be a girl,” she finally said. “Although you can still dress up a boy in adorable outfits.” 

“Uh... as long as they’re not too cutesy,” David said, pretending to cringe. He leaned close to M’s stomach. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’ll look out for you.” 

They laughed as the nurse entered the room and got ready to do the ultrasound. She squeezed gel onto her stomach and then began rubbing it around with the wand. “Everything look’s really good so far, Mary Margaret. Would you like to find out the sex?” 

“Yes!” M said, holding her breath. 

“It’s a girl,” the nurse answered, smiling. 

“I know it!” M said, turning to David. “You owe me a candy bar.” 

He pretended to groan but smiled. He leaned over and kissed her. 

Emma smiled at them. She hated knowing that in a few days, she would probably be telling M news that would turn her world upside down. 

*****

“What do you think of Sophia? Or Sophie?” 

Emma looked at the doors of the coffee house. “Both are nice.” 

They sat together at a little table in the back, Emma drinking a latte and M drinking a decaf tea. They were waiting for Regina to arrive, which M didn’t know yet. She was writing out a list of possible baby names. 

“I wonder if we should name her Eva, after my mother.” M chewed on her pen. “But then I don’t want Ruth to feel left out.” 

“You could make Ruth her middle name, maybe. Or one of them, if you decide to give her two.” 

Just then, Regina burst through the doors. Emma felt like she was going to be sick. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Regina announced, sitting down at the table. She turned to her as if she wanted to kiss her, but didn’t. They’d both agreed to refrain from kissing or touching of any kind while they told M.

M looked up, surprised. “What are you doing here?” There was a sharpness to her tone that Emma had never heard before. 

“Um...” she began. This was supposed to be where she began talking, but her mind had gone completely blank. 

“Wait, you two know each other? How?” M put her pen down and crossed her arms as best as she could over her belly. 

“If you would let me get a word in dear, we’d explain it to you,” Regina said patiently. She cleared her throat. “Emma was in my English class last term.” 

“Seriously?” M frowned. “Okay...” 

“And well...” Emma added. “We kind of developed feelings for each other.” 

“Feelings?! You’ve got to be kidding me,” M scoffed. “What the hell do you see in her, Emma?” 

“Look, I know this is probably really shocking, but I really like Regina. She’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.” She snuck a glance at the brunette and she smiled encouragingly at her. “Anyway, this is the person I mentioned who I liked a few months ago. I had no idea you guys knew each other or were even related.” 

“So how did you find out then?” M asked. 

“I had invited Emma out for dinner with my family, when my mom happened to mention your father.” 

“And let me guess, your mother probably also badmouthed me as well, right?” M began to look upset. “You’ve always managed to ruin everything, Regina. First you come into my Daddy’s life and pretend to replace my mother, and now you come into my best friend’s life and try to brainwash her?!” 

“Mary Margaret, I am doing nothing of the sort. I have never tried to replace your mother, ever. And I am not brainwashing Emma.” Regina looked hurt as she said it. “If you had given me a chance, you would’ve seen me as someone who wants what’s best for you and is a person who you can come talk to whenever you need it.” 

“You don’t know what’s best for me!” M hissed. “You hate when Daddy spoils me and gives me whatever I want. Just admit it, you’re jealous of me!” 

“Oh believe me, I’m not jealous of you dear. I’m concerned with the way your father treats you. One day, you’re going to realize that he can’t give you everything your heart desires.” 

“Don’t talk about him that way!” M cried. “He’s perfect. He may not agree with me keeping my baby, but he’s been a wonderful father to me.” 

“M,” Emma sighed. Someone needed to remove the rose-coloured glasses on her face. She just hated that it had to be her. “You realize he’s cheating on Regina right? He has a new woman now.” 

“That’s not true. He wouldn’t do that.” 

“Why don’t you go ask him then?” Regina suggested. Clearly there was no getting through to M with any of this.

“I will.” M stood up and shoved her chair in. “It’s all lies, you’ll see!” 

She stormed off and left the coffee shop. Emma placed her head in her hands. “Well, that went well.” 

“Oh believe me Emma, that went about how I expected it to go.” Regina took her hand and began stroking it. “She’s upset. In time, she’ll come around and will see her father for who he truly is.” 

“I hope so,” she answered. Boy did she ever. The sooner M saw that, the better. 

*****

After the big blowout with M, Emma tried to keep herself busy with school. This semester, she was taking art, creative writing, family studies, and film. Her classes were a lot more easy going this time, and she was glad to get a bit of breather in terms of studying and assignments. Her film and art class literally had no exams, and her family studies class and creative writing class were both filled with fun assignments that she enjoyed doing. And after school as she had promised, she visited Regina in her classroom and spent time with her there. She was currently in the middle of a big decision: stay on as a teacher or go to cooking school and pursue her dream? 

“Who says you can’t do both?” Emma asked, taking a bite of the lasagna Regina had made for them. “You could do online teaching part-time and go to cooking school.” 

“Hmm,” Regina considered this. “That just may work.” 

As for M, she had been distant from her, but still updated with her texts about the baby. Emma hardly saw her in school, and had suspected that she dropped out. Which was sad, but she could always go back and get her GED after the baby was born. She knew that David had gotten more shifts at his job at Burger King, and that Ruth was willing to look after the baby for them during the day so that they could work and go to university. 

Valentine’s Day had come and passed, and she and Regina had spent a lovely evening together. The brunette had surprised her by letting herself into her bedroom while she was still asleep and had filled the place with chocolates, flowers, a big bear, and even a heart-shaped balloon. She had been touched and had given Regina a beautiful ruby bracelet she’d saved up for and a box of her favourite chocolates. Since it was a Saturday, the two had spent most of the day together in bed and then had gone out for dinner and a movie afterward. 

It was a quiet afternoon in April where Emma and Regina were in her classroom together after school. They both held envelopes in their hands. One was from Columbia University, where Emma really wanted to go after graduation, and the other was from The Institute of Culinary Education, where Regina had finally decided to apply to go to cooking school. She’d let Montgomery High know that she wouldn’t be returning in September, and had applied for several positions to teach school online to children in Europe. She was fluent in French, German, and Spanish, so she hoped that she could get an assignment teaching a child who spoke one of those languages. 

“Okay,” Emma said, staring at the letter in her hands. “Ready?” 

Regina nodded. “On the count of three. One, two, three!” 

They both tore open the letters and read them. Emma squealed and jumped up and down. “I got in! I got into Columbia on full scholarship!” 

“And I got into the cooking school!” Regina said excitedly. She picked Emma up and swung her around the classroom. “Oh I’m so proud of you, Emma. I knew you could do it.” 

She reached up and kissed her. “I’m proud of you too. I knew you would get in. I knew it!” 

They had already talked about what they hoped to do after June. Regina was planning on leaving Leopold, not caring whether she got any money from him or not in the divorce proceedings and was going to move into Emma’s room at Granny’s apartment. In return, she would work at the diner as a cook for the summer and would help Granny change up the menus a little once September came and she no longer had time to work. Both her and Ruby had come to love Regina, and thought that she was good for Emma. They were happy that their relationship was blooming, and were excited to see what the future would hold for them.

“I think this calls for a celebration!” Emma announced. “Want to go for ice-cream?” 

“Sure!” Regina picked up her purse and jacket, along with some essays that she needed to mark. “Let’s go.” 

They were leaving the classroom when they saw M standing hesitantly a few feet away. She looked visibly upset and timidly came up to them. “Hey. I need to talk to you guys.” 

Regina and Emma looked at each other. They could sense that what she wanted to say was important. “Alright.” She leaned against the bank of lockers and gestured for M to come closer. 

M did. She was definitely showing now, but despite that, she still looked good. She had laid off big time on the makeup, and the results were terrific. She was allowing her natural beauty to show. “So, I just wanted to tell you guys that you were right.” M sniffed. “My father does have a new woman in his life. She’s twenty-three and is a law student doing an internship at the courthouse he works at.” 

She felt disgusted by this piece of information. But she was glad that M knew the truth now. “How did you find out? Did he tell you?” 

“Oh no. I went home to confront him and walked in on them in bed.” M shook her head disgustedly. “I feel so stupid now. Like I should’ve known what he was doing.” 

“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” Regina said gently. “You loved him and adored him, as you should’ve. There was nothing you could’ve done to stop him.” 

Emma watched as M looked uncomfortable then. “I owe you an apology, Regina. I’m sorry that I made life so difficult for you all these years, and that I kept pushing you away.” She reached up and wiped her tears away. “You probably hate me.” 

Regina shook her head. “I don’t hate you, dear. I know how difficult it is for children when they get a new stepparent, and I figured that our relationship would just take more time to form. I never gave up on you, Mary Margaret. I knew one day things could change and be different.” 

“Thanks,” M said softly. She turned to look at both of them. “And I’m sorry about how I reacted when I heard about you guys going out. I guess I was just shocked.” But then she smiled. “But I want you to know that I support you in your relationship. And I want you guys to be happy.” Then she looked confused. “But Emma, that wouldn’t make you my stepmother as well, would it? Because that would be pretty weird.” 

“It would,” she laughed. “No, I think I can stay your best friend.” 

“I’m glad.” She turned to Regina again. “I also wanted to know if you’d like to try pursuing a relationship between the two of us. I understand if you don’t, since I was a pretty rotten stepdaughter to you.” 

“I would love that.” Regina gave her a hug. “And I promise you that I am not trying to replace your mother. I know how special she was and how much you miss her. But I’d really like it if we could maybe be friends.” 

M nodded. “I’d like that.” 

“So, Regina and I were going to go out for ice-cream to celebrate. Would you like to come with us?” Emma asked. 

“Of course. I’ve actually had such a strong craving for it lately.” She looked confused. “What are we celebrating?” 

Regina laughed. “We’ll fill you in on the way, come on.” 

As the three of them headed out the doors of the school, Emma couldn’t help but smile. Things had turned out better than she could’ve ever hoped for, and she knew they would continue to go smoothly.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 

Epilogue - Four Years Later

In the end, things did go well for them, as Emma had predicted. After she had graduated from high school, she’d gone on to Columbia to pursue a major in journalism and a minor in culinary arts. She had accepted a job as a food writer and reviewer at a big newspaper, and was excited to begin working there. 

Regina had graduated from cooking school and was in the middle of trying to open her own restaurant. She was super excited about it, but still had yet to plan out what she wanted to serve. She knew she wanted a little bit of everything on the menu. She was also teaching English to a family living in Spain who had two young girls, and she enjoyed it. She had missed getting to speak Spanish on a regular basis, and her two students were a pleasure to work with. After divorcing Leopold, she’d ended up getting half of the money and could’ve retired and settled down comfortably, but she wanted to continue working and exploring her passions. As for their relationship, they had bought a small house together and Emma was thinking of proposing to her soon. 

M had given birth in September, two years after Emma’s high school graduation and her and David had named their daughter Sophia Eva Ruth Nolan. M was working part-time at a clothing store while going to law school, and David had been promoted to manager at Burger King and was working on getting his masters in school psychology. 

As Emma sat in the rows and rows of students all graduating from Columbia, she reflected on these last few years and how far they’d all came. She looked out into the audience and saw Regina, M and David and Sophia, Ruth, Granny, Leroy, Ruby and Peter all sitting there waiting for her to cross the stage to get her diploma. 

“Emma Swan!” 

As her name was called, she walked up the steps to the stage and shook hands with the chancellor as he handed her her diploma. She could hear all her friends clapping and cheering and the sound of Regina whistling. She smiled extra wide and waved to them. 

As she returned to her seat, she thought of her parents then, and what they would’ve thought if they knew she had just graduated from university. She smiled to herself, knowing just how proud they would be of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has followed this story from the beginning! I hope you all enjoyed it ☺️


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